


Bond, James…er…uhm…Jim’s Bond

by franscats



Category: The Sentinel
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-10-25
Updated: 2013-10-25
Packaged: 2017-12-30 09:49:52
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 32,016
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1017152
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/franscats/pseuds/franscats
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>AU piece.  Sentinels and Guides are known.  Jim and Blair both come online but neither wants to bond.  Note rated for: violence, attempted rate, male/male relations.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Bond, James…er…uhm…Jim’s Bond

**Author's Note:**

> Warnings  
> 1\. This work is rated NC-17 for language, violence, sexual content and attempted rape,  
> 2\. This work is an alternate universe piece where guides and sentinels are known and bond,  
> 3\. This piece includes spoilers for The Switchman.
> 
> Disclaimer: The Sentinel and its characters are the property of Paramount and Pet Fly Productions who own the rights to (fandom and said characters), I do not. No money has exchanged. No harm, slander, defamation of character or company intended. (Character/fandom) may be copyrighted.
> 
> As always, feedback is welcomed and appreciated.

Bond, James…er…uhm…Jim’s Bond

It wasn’t until genetic testing became quick, affordable, and part of normal procedures in hospital natal wards that the world at large learned of sentinels and guides. Of course indigenous tribes had always known about watchmen and their companions but that knowledge was lost to large urban areas until the extremely rare recessive genes for empathy and enhanced senses turned up in someone’s lab. Initial and subsequent testing showed that only a very small portion of the population (less than one thousandth of 1%) carried the genes and these people were identified as possible sentinels and guides. But whether the gene would wake and they would come online, so to speak, was unknown and geneticists still hadn’t figured how that worked.

In any case, sentinels and guides were romanticized by the population and whenever possible snatched up by various government agencies. The military offered sentinels and guides incredible incentives to join their agencies as did the FBI, CIA, etc. The military, recognizing the symbiotic relationship between sentinels and guides early on, focused on actively searching for and enlisting guides since a sentinel needed a guide and so the military ended up with the most concentration of sentinels and became the main source for research on the topic. They even took to categorizing sentinel levels and their rating system became the norm. A sentinel with one enhanced sense was listed as a category 1 and for the most part ignored. A category 2 sentinel could have a 2 A rating (one sense at double or more human capacity and one slightly better than human capacity) or a 2 B rating (both senses double human capacity). Each category had sub divisions notating how many senses were merely enhanced versus how many were extremely enhanced i.e. double or higher. A category 5 sentinel was rare. Not often did one turn up who had 5 enhanced senses and one that had a category 5 E rating could write his or her own ticket in just about any organization.

For the empath, the testing was a bit different but it was also listed as categories 1 through 5 to correlate with sentinel categories. The military had discovered in its early testing that the stronger the sentinel the more he or she needed to bond with a matching guide to bring out both the guide and the sentinel’s innate abilities. Most empaths, like most sentinels, fell in the 2 to 3 category range but once in a while an empath with a rating of 4 would show up. These individuals were as amazing as their counterparts, able to push the sentinel’s abilities and keep him or her grounded. There had only been three empaths rated 5 in military history and none had ever been found at the same time as an unbonded rated 5 sentinel, but various agencies watched, waited and hoped to some day see such a pair.

The bonding between sentinel and guide was tricky business since it required the channeling and linking of two minds. The bond could but didn’t have to include sexual contact, so it was not unheard of for a same gender sentinel and guide pair to become lovers and life partners even though they were not attracted to any others of the same sex. Even homophobes seemed to accept without censure matings between guides and sentinels. It was considered part of the sentinel guide mystic - the sentinel hardwired to defend the tribe, the guide hardwired to defend the sentinel. For the empath, bonding strengthened the empathy allowing it to flow through pathways out into the world, making the empath an excellent judge of character while the sentinel’s strong innate mental shielding kept the empath from being bombarded by people’s emotions and overwhelmed. Without a bond, an empath became isolated and depressed, and more often than not suicidal. For a sentinel, bonding regulated his or her senses so the extensive input he or she received from the physical world no longer overwhelmed the sentinel. Without a bond, the sentinel would eventually be plagued by his or her senses and either go insane or become catatonic. Because of these limitations, level 3 or higher sentinels and guides were required to register with the government and were monitored monthly until they bonded. Once bonded, the sentinel and guide were protected each by the other and the government no longer monitored their safety. Looking at a sentinel guide pair, one would immediately think them opposites but the truth was stranger than that. They were in fact two sides of a coin, one enhancing the external stimuli, the other the internal stimuli.

At one point, the top brass at the military had considered mandating a draft into the armed services for all sentinels and guides so they could control this special sub group, but sentinels and guides were extremely popular and the politicians weren’t about to steal rights away from a group that their voting constituents loved. So, life went on and when a sentinel or guide was found and went online – the military tried recruiting them as did several large investigative bodies. Unfortunately for the police department, they could not match the budgets of their larger cousins and so very few and only very low level sentinels and guides had ever found their way into the department - that was until the Switchman Case. Jim Ellison, former Army Ranger and Captain, came online during that case and it was obvious to all concerned, including the military who banged their collective heads against the wall for losing their covert officer, that the Major Crimes detective would in all likelihood be a level 5E sentinel.

***

Jim had been on an isolated stake out when his senses started spiking. At first he ignored the spikes and small zones, after all it had happened in Peru and had gone away, so he had never mentioned it to the military. When it happened in Cascade Washington it became more of a problem. In Peru, Incacha the tribal shaman, had helped him, and the tribe had simply accepted him as a sentinel. Sentinels were not unheard of among the Chopec and were treated as warriors among the clan. They were not idolized or demeaned. They served a function in the tribe just as all tribal members did. But in America, where sentinels were romanticized and sensationalized, he knew he would be celebrated as a sentinel – a freak – in need of a guide babysitter. But freak or not, he had to admit he had a problem after he lost the Switchman when his eyesight spiked. Coming back to Major Crimes, he walked into the department and took a deep breath before going over and knocking on his captain’s door.

“Come in,” came the gruff voice and then the owner of the voice, Simon Banks, looked up at his lead detective his expression softening minutely as he looked at the pale worn out face. “Hi Jim, some coffee? My cousin sent me some Sumatran something or other this week” he asked indicating the pot. Jim nodded and Banks poured him a cup before coming round to sit on the edge of his desk and indicating Jim should sit. “What happened? You almost had him?”

Jim nodded and looked down at the coffee. He had spent all of last night trying to decide what he would tell his captain and finally, decided on the truth. “It was my senses, Simon. They started going out of whack while I was on stake out this week,” he whispered, hating having to admit it, but he had lost the perp because of them. He had lost control, and one thing James Ellison hated was losing control. His jaw clenched as he looked into the swirling steam of the coffee. 

“Your senses?” Simon looked over his detective’s bowed head, a tingle of excitement starting up in his stomach. Just the other day he had told Joel Taggart, Captain of the Bomb Squad, what he wouldn’t give to have a sentinel in his department. “Jim, have you ever been tested for sentinel abilities?” he asked watching the man in front of him closely. 

Jim nodded his eyes focused on the floor. “My father insisted on having my brother Steven and me tested.” There was more than a little bitterness in his voice. “He wanted to have the prestige of a sentinel son. Steven didn’t test for sentinel abilities but I have the genetic imprint.” Jim paused and his next words came slowly, reluctantly. “My old man even sent me off camping on my own a few times trying to get them to kick in but they didn’t, not till I went to Peru. But they have been off line for the last five years. They went off when I left the jungle.”

Simon frowned at the implications. “You were online in the army?” The police captain couldn’t imagine the army letting go of an online sentinel. 

Jim, still not looking at Simon, nodded as he tightened his hold on the coffee cup to still his hands; his long fingers curling around the mug in a way that made Simon think he might crush it. Jim had been part of a team that had gone to Peru to deal with drug smugglers but the mission had gone wrong from the start. The helicopter had crashed in the jungle and his team had died. However, in true Ellison style he had carried out the mission by connecting with the Chopec tribe and enlisting them as his team. Eighteen months later, he had been rescued and shortly after that he quit the army and came back to Cascade. “Only while I was in the jungle, so I never told the brass,” he admitted quietly and Simon frowned as he realized his lead detective wasn’t happy about his senses.

“You think they’re back online now?” Again a nod as Banks watched him. “All right, let’s take this slowly. First, we have to confirm whether or not you are a sentinel and, if you are, what category.” At that statement Jim looked up, light blue eyes pleading with his captain.

“If I do that, I’ll have to register, maybe get a guide.” He didn’t add but thought, “Admit to being an out of control freak.”

“Jim, guides are not the enemy. They ground sentinels, help them with their senses.” Simon didn’t know much about sentinels and guides and their relationships. Everyone knew the pair bonded but what exactly that meant, well there were jokes and speculation but no one in the general public really knew. It was totted as a symbiotic relationship, both the sentinel and guide gaining from the bond, but beyond a need for physical contact the captain had no clue what bonding would mean for his sentinel. However, though Simon couldn’t actually say he knew any guides, supposedly they took very good care of their sentinels and in turn their sentinels watched over them.

“I don’t want someone who thinks I need a babysitter. And I don’t want someone I have to watch out for at work,” Jim growled. Simon nodded hearing this; Jim liked to work alone. Crossing his arms he glared down at Jim using his most intimidating demeanor, a pose that usually sent most of his staff scrambling for cover. However, Jim was not most of his staff and “the look” would not be enough, Simon knew that as he ordered his thoughts.

“The fact is Detective,” Simon answered is a stern voice, “you lost a perp because of your senses. You can try and ignore them and maybe get yourself or someone else killed or you can find out about them. I, for one, would not mind a sentinel guide team in Major Crimes.” Jim sighed and sipped his coffee. He knew this would be the reaction, police departments were desperate for sentinel guide pairs. Never mind the fact that the sentinel had to bare his soul to the guide during the bonding process, or that the guide would always be able to tap into the sentinel’s emotions once bonded or that bonding was for life and he would be saddled with a guide for the rest of his days. He could imagine how his ex wife Carolyn would have loved that idea, having another person living with them or underfoot.

“I’ll test,” he gave in wearily. “But I’m not bonding with a guide unless my senses are off the charts. I’ll find some other way to deal with it.”

“Let’s take it one step at a time. I’ll have Rhonda make the arrangements. Go to the Sentinel Center at Rainier tomorrow and get tested.” Jim put the cup down and stood, feeling worse. 

***

The army had a comprehensive testing center but it was not the exclusive site for testing. On the West Coast there were alternate testing sites, one at UCLA and the other, the Sentinel Center at Rainier University. Rainier had well deserved pride in its Sentinel Center. It kept a state of the art testing facility. It had a reputation to live up to since it was Rainier’s researchers who first identified the sentinel and guide genes 

Walking into the Sentinel Center there, Jim glanced around noticing the picture on the wall of Sir Richard Burton, the explorer who had documented cases of sentinels and guides. Taking a deep breath to steady himself, he continued forward until he stood before the receptionist’s desk. An attractive woman with short brown hair looked up at him, her green eyes assessing and approving the figure before her. “Good morning,” the receptionist greeted in a soft voice. She was used to two kinds of people who came in to be tested, sentinel wannabes who dreamed of having enhanced senses and usually didn’t, and level 2 sentinels who had figured out they had better taste buds and more sensitive noses than their fellows. In any case, she had been trained to keep her voice low and soft not to offend the ears of a sentinel in distress despite the fact that she rarely saw a sentinel strong enough to be distressed, though she had been trained to recognize one.

“Good morning,” Jim replied taking a deep breath. He really was not ready for this. “I have an appointment for testing, Jim Ellison.” He watched the young lady look down at her papers.

“Yes you do,” she agreed with a smile as Jim frowned and turned toward the door. Her eyes followed his and watched moments later as two men came into the building, arguing quietly. One she recognized as Professor Stoddard, a senior member of the faculty, the other a young man with long curly hair and deep blue eyes.

“I don’t need testing, Eli,” the younger man was arguing in a near whisper, though the volume didn’t negate the younger man’s emotions or frustration as he was forcibly dragged into the building.

“But you’ve already admitted you didn’t have testing as a child, Blair. It can’t hurt to see. This whole week you’ve been different, empathic.”

“No,” Blair argued and then paused, his face suddenly showing confusion as he looked at the desk and the tall man standing there. “I’m…” he paused again, as his eyes glazed over and his body swayed. Stoddard immediately grabbed Blair thinking the young man might faint but after a moment and a deep breath Blair shook his head clear, unaware of how telling the episode had been. “I’m just tired and it is making me oversensitive. A little meditation and I’ll be fine,” he answered, but even to his own ears his voice sounded faint.

“Blair,” the answer reflected exasperation as well as affection. “You’ve had a headache all week. You’ve been aware of the emotions of anyone you have come into contact with and at last night’s faculty meeting you overloaded.”

Blair shook his head trying to focus on Eli Stoddard but his body refused to obey, his eyes remaining fixed on the man standing in front of the receptionist’s desk. “I didn’t, Eli, I just got a little dizzy. All I need is a day off to rest. I’ve been overdoing it.” Eli gave the young man an exasperated look.

“It won’t hurt to be tested and if you are right than I’ll cover your classes for the next two days so you can rest.” He didn’t add that if Blair had come online he’d need to cover Blair’s classes anyway and had already arranged it. 

Jim had to force himself to turn back to the receptionist as his nostrils flared scenting the men. He shook his head, his fingers digging into his palms to shift his focus as he closed his eyes trying to center his wayward senses. He suddenly felt like he had an itch he couldn’t scratch as his nose twitched. There was a scent here that was to say the least, seductive. However, those thoughts were pushed aside as he forced himself to focus on the receptionist realizing she was directing him. “Through those doors room 12,” she finished with a smile, suspecting that maybe this was a real sentinel. His hearing was sensitive and he certainly had a reaction to the young man who walked in with Professor Stoddard. “They’re ready for you.” With a nod, Jim quickly started away to escape the alluring scent as the men approached the desk. 

As he passed through the doors, white noise generators silencing the world outside, the last thing he heard was the older man announcing to the receptionist, “I’m Dr. Stoddard from the anthropology department. This is one of our teaching assistants, Blair Sandburg. I want him tested as a guide. I believe he’s just come online.”

When Rhonda made the appointment, she told him that testing usually took two to four hours, so Jim was less than pleased when he glanced at his watch at three o’clock. He had been in the center for well over 6 hours and impatience was beginning to morph into fear that maybe something was physically wrong with him and Jim didn’t do fear well. It usually came out as anger. The people at the center had been oh so pleasant as they shuffled him from room to room. They had kept their voices soft and coaxing and had even served him a lunch of fresh fruits and vegetables with bottled water between two tests, but wouldn’t give him a straight answer about any test results. All they would say was he would receive the analysis at the end of the testing. Finally, they had directed him to an office and asked him to await the doctor. He had been sitting there, staring at the walls for ten minutes and considering leaving, they could send him the results, when a man walked in the room. “Good afternoon Mr. Ellison, I’m Dr. McCoy,” the man came and sat down behind the desk, placing a folder down. Jim nodded as the doctor looked over him. “I have all your test results and we have reviewed them.” The doctor leaned forward glancing at the man before him. “You’ll understand we have to be precise in our measures and calibrating takes time, especially at higher levels.”

“Higher levels?” Jim repeated feeling his stomach sink.

“Yes,” the man was oblivious to Jim’s obvious discomfort as he smiled with excitement. “We haven’t had a level 5 in a long time and you are a level 5E. Your senses are practically off the charts, congratulations.” Jim nodded his jaw clenched with tension and the doctor considered him thoughtfully as he realized this. Most patients were thrilled when they found out they had enhanced senses, but not this man. “By law we must register you and report your status to the government,” he continued in a more subdued voice, “and I would recommend that you find a guide quickly. Spikes and zone outs will increase until you do. To be honest, we have never seen a sentinel suddenly come online at such a high level and without a guide you could deteriorate at an accelerated rate. We have guides here, we could arrange for a meeting as early as tomorrow.”

“I’m busy tomorrow,” Jim answered mechanically, trying to think how he could get out of this. What had he said to Simon, he wasn’t bonding unless his senses were off the charts and of course, that’s just what happened. “But I’ll consider what you told me,” Jim answered rising and offering his handshake, wanting to get out of the building, and the doctor nodded, realizing this was a lot to take in and the man before him was in shock.

“Once we register you, Mr. Ellison, you will be required to submit for monitoring monthly until you have bonded. We are putting a packet together on your senses, what you should expect, what you should avoid. Bonding and how it really works, not the public perception. We will have it ready in a few minutes. You should go home and read it this evening. It will also include something of a shopping list. You will need organic foods, chemical free cleaning products and natural fiber clothing to keep your senses from flaring painfully, they have become extremely sensitive. We noted several rashes this afternoon caused by your clothing. Once you have a guide, he or she will in all likelihood take over the responsibility of seeing that you have appropriate materials and products. A guide is usually very good at identifying what upsets his or her sentinel. It is part of the empathic bond.” The doctor paused, looking at Jim as the man stiffened in response to the statement, the doctor seeing, perhaps for the first time, the man not the sentinel. “I know this is a shock,” the tone softened as he gripped Jim’s hand in a strong handshake, “but especially in your line of work, this could be incredible. With the right guide you could do things no normal person could.” Jim nodded pulling back not pleased with the assertion and turned looking at the door just before an assistant knocked and entered handing the doctor a folder, his eyes turning to Jim with a look of awe before silently leaving. The doctor, not a stupid man, realized this reaction was unwelcome and gave a mental shake of his head. The sentinel before him would have to get used to this kind of reaction, he was unique even by sentinel standards, a level 5E.

Jim left the Sentinel Center in shock, the packet gripped in fingers turning white with the strain. On autopilot, he made his way to his car and getting in threw the packet on the passenger’s seat with a bit more zeal than needed before resting his head on the steering wheel. What could he do? By now, the government was receiving notice that he was a sentinel. He didn’t doubt he would be hearing from the army and several other services soon and somehow he would have to dodge them and a guide. Starting the car, he drove slowly, not even aware of where he was going until he reached the police department. Pulling in and parking, he supposed he would have to let Simon know what was going on and headed up to the bullpen where Detectives Rafe and Brown turned speculative eyes on him as he passed them and went to knock on the captain’s door. Scuttlebutt, he realized, had already started.

At the knock, Simon called, “Come in,” before looking up to see who had intruded. He had been waiting anxiously to hear from Jim and so he immediately put his unlit cigar down on his desk and stood noting his detective’s unhappy face before moving to the coffee pot to pour two cups. Intuitively, he knew his detective was a sentinel. Testing usually took a couple of hours but Jim was still being tested when he had Rhonda call at two. The Sentinel Center would never give out information about a sentinel’s testing to anything but the appropriate agency, that information was covered under doctor patient confidentiality laws, but using his deductive skills, Simon figured if Jim was still being tested there must be a lot to test. “How did it go?” he asked handing a cup to his detective and coming around to take a seat beside him.

“I’m a sentinel,” Jim admitted, not looking at Simon, not wanting to see the captain’s reaction as he added, “a level 5E Simon.”

Simon actually whistled in response before schooling his face but his mind was racing. He had attended the required lectures on sentinels and guides in the workplace and understood the ramifications of that statement. At the time, he had grumbled about attending, sentinels and guides were rare and almost never ended up in the police force so attending the lecture had seemed a waste of time. But he suddenly found himself glad he had attended. Jim wasn’t just a sentinel but an elite sentinel, the top of the line. They would have to get him a guide quickly to avoid complications and get his senses under control, but he would be an organic crime lab and Major Crimes would have him. Simon actually felt like rubbing his hands together at the thought but kept still, his face schooled, knowing Jim would not see this as good fortune.

“You are going to need a guide Jim,” Simon said each word slowly to emphasize how important it would be. “Even you said it yesterday. Something about getting a guide if your senses were off the charts. Well, they are.” 

Jim nodded miserably. “I know. The Center gave me all kinds of packets on sentinels and told me to read them tonight.” 

Simon nodded. “Why don’t you go home and read them. We can talk about this tomorrow.” Jim downed his coffee, grimacing at the taste as sensitive taste buds complained of the bitterness and metallic taste of the water and turned to look at his captain and friend as he stood.

“I hate this,” he admitted his voice finally showing some of the animation he was known for and Simon nodded his understanding not knowing what to say to make his friend feel better.

“Go home, call me if you need to talk.” Jim gave Simon a smile and turned to the door heading out without looking at anyone as Simon took a seat at his desk and smiled. Jim would just have to get used to being a sentinel. In the meantime, Simon would push to find him a guide.

***

While Jim was sitting in Simon’s office dismally informing his boss of his status, Blair Sandburg sat in his boss’ office just as dismally informing his boss of his status as a guide. “I tested as an empath,” he told Eli Stoddard, his voice reflecting his unease, as he dropped into the seat across from the Professor and dumped his ever present backpack on the floor.

Eli Stoddard nodded looking at his assistant. Blair was a doctoral student in the anthropology department and teaching assistant at the university. Gifted with a brilliant mind and an unorthodox but unquenchable sense of curiosity, the student had entered Rainier at the age of 16, had earned his college degree and masters by the age of 20, and was close to finishing his doctoral dissertation on rituals within closed societies. Stoddard had taken the young man under his wing when Blair, a scrawny, scared student had arrived and the two had been friends ever since.

“Your mother never had you tested?” Stoddard asked again, not believing the woman would act so irresponsibly and Blair shook his head.

“She felt genetic testing might pigeonhole me into a field I didn’t want and since it wasn’t common practice when I was born she skipped it.” Stoddard shrugged, that was one way of looking at genetic testing he supposed but if Blair weren’t at Rainier they might not have realized he was an empath coming online and that could have led to some serious problems. An empath coming online faced the same problems as sentinels coming online. Their external senses weren’t affected but their internal senses began to spike and zone as emotions crowded them and without a sentinel to block the input and level them the empath very quickly overloaded or spiraled down into depression.

Deciding to forgo a discussion of Naomi Sandburg’s unorthodox practices, the Professor leaned forward studying his assistant. Blair was already showing signs of empathic strain. Usually Blair was exuberant, talkative, looking for the next challenge, but the young man before him was still and quiet. “How did you rate?” Stoddard asked and watched Blair grimace and shrug.

“A 5E,” he answered with a sigh.

“Five!!!” Stoddard sat back staring at Blair. “A 5E,” he repeated more to himself before looking up at the young man. “You are going to need a sentinel and damn quickly.”

Blair looked at his mentor and then down at his shirt tugging on the hem of his colorful vest and pulling at small strings. “I don’t want a sentinel,” he said realizing his voice sounded somewhat petulant. “I might as well give up my career if I take a sentinel.” Stoddard made a noise in protest but Blair held up a finger and began counting. “The minute I bond I’ll go completely online. I won’t be able to leave the country for any extended period of time unless the sentinel comes with me since I’ll need to keep his or her senses in check and he or she will need to keep mine in check and it is rather unlikely that I will find an anthropologist sentinel. Sentinels tend to go into some kind of protective service. It’s hardwired into their brains. So what am I supposed to do?” He added a second finger. “I won’t be able to live on my own. Ninety-nine percent of guides live with their sentinels. It’s a blessed protector thing hard wired into their Neanderthal brains.” He added a third finger and his voice became a bit more plaintive. “I might not be able to have a relationship with another human with a sentinel watchdog. Seventy five percent of the guides have sexual relationships exclusively with their sentinels. They’re a jealous bunch where guides are concerned and no matter what you say, they act as if they own their guides.” Blair held up one more finger as he continued. “Seventy percent of sentinels work for the armed services. Closed society or not, I am not working for a military organization.”

“Guide Sandburg,” Eli cut in sharply and watched as startled sapphire blue eyes looked up at the professor. “You are a guide. This isn’t something you can turn on or off and you are going to need a sentinel. Guides who don’t take sentinels are overwhelmed by their empathy and fall into depression rather quickly.”

Blair shrugged. “I’ve been in and out of therapy before. A bit over five years ago I went through a phase. I can handle a little depression...” Blair stopped looking at his professor’s face. 

“I wonder if the depression was related to your abilities,” Stoddard considered.

“It went away,” Blair replied defensively but his eyes rested on the desk unable to meet the professor’s.

“Blair,” Stoddard took a deep breath trying to corral his impatience. This little discussion reminded him of the willful 16 year old who sat in front of him ten years before. “What happens to guides who don’t bond?” he asked reasonably.

“They become depressed,” the answer was whispered as Blair again focused on his vest, picking at the material.

“Statistically, what happens to depressed guides?” Blair didn’t answer and so Stoddard answered for him. “They become suicidal. You are getting a sentinel young man, so based on all the reasons you just gave, you had better pick one you like.” Blair gave a soft groan in reply.

***

Jim had just arrived at work the next morning when Rhonda transferred a phone call to his desk. “Ellison,” he answered holding the phone against his shoulder as he dropped his papers on his desk.

“Good morning, Captain Ellison,” the voice was too bright and cheerful and Jim frowned. “The government has just received word of your sentinel status, congratulations. We would like to discuss options with you. Would you be available for a lunch meeting this afternoon with Major Reed.” Jim cringed at the idea. He remembered Major Reed. The man was a decent officer but if the army was trying to get him to a luncheon with Reed they were ready for a full push for recruitment and sometimes the army could be nasty in its insistence.

“Listen, I’m a detective and intend to stay a detective so the answer is no, but thank Major Reed for me.” Jim didn’t wait for a reply but hung up and turned to the office where Simon stood in the doorway watching him.

“Come in Jim,” Simon walked into his office and the sentinel followed before the captain closed the door. Taking a seat, Simon considered Jim. “I know you are going to get a lot of offers.” Simon glanced at his desk where his staff’s work schedule rested. “And Major Crimes can’t compete with some of them. Oh, hell, Major Crimes can’t compete with any of them. As a sentinel, once you find your guide, you’ll get a raise and should your guide join us he’ll get the same pay but it’s no where near the amount you could make …”

“I’m not leaving Simon,” Jim cut him off. The captain looked at his detective as his features relaxed and he smiled picking up his cigar and considering all the wonderful things a sentinel could do. Oh, the cases Jim would close.

“That’s what I needed to know.” Simon walked over and poured a cup of coffee. “Have you given any consideration to getting a guide?”

“I can’t seem to find a way to get out of it,” Jim admitted as Rhonda appeared in the door.

“There’s another call for Jim,” she informed the two men as she handed over a bunch of messages. She had fielded eight this morning before the detective had arrived and that didn’t include the one’s that had gone to Jim’s voice mail. 

“The Sentinel Center.” Jim cursed under his breath and Simon rolled his eyes before indicating that Jim should answer it.

“Ellison,” he answered curtly when he picked up Simon’s phone, his jaw tightening as he tried to ignore the fact that his captain leaned over closer to listen in on the conversation.

“Sentinel Ellison, good morning, this is Dr. McCoy.” Jim winced at the title as the doctor paused waiting for the usual niceties. When they weren’t forth coming he continued excitedly, his voice pitched loud enough for Simon to hear clearly. “We have a guide for you. A level 5E.”

“I’m not ready for a guide yet. I need a little time.” Jim tried to stall as Simon scowled crossing his arms.

“Sentinel,” the doctor continued, lecturing as if he were talking with a child. “You must understand that level 5 guides are as rare as level 5 sentinels. Having both of you online at the same time is an incredible opportunity. And you are both in the precarious state of needing to bond and quickly. It would be such a waste if you and the guide bonded outside of your tested range. You’ll be handicapping yourselves needlessly.”

“I’ll consider it,” Jim answered trying to delay what he knew was inevitable as he moved to hang up the phone but stopped at Simon’s glare. “Let me call you back in a few minutes, doctor,” he reached down and wrote the doctor’s phone number on a piece a paper he grabbed off of Simon’s desk. Hanging up, he glared back at Simon, crossing his arms.

“I don’t want a guide.”

“You don’t really have a choice. Why not go for the best while you have the chance.” 

“You know my senses could drop a level if I pick a lower level guide. They might reach a point where I won’t have problems with them.”

“You’re a level 5E Jim, you think you’ll ever get that low?” Simon didn’t get an answer but he didn’t really expect one. “So you’ll still be a sentinel. Why not be the best you can. It’s not like you to settle for second best.” Jim looked at him and sighed before calling Dr. McCoy.

***

The loud ringing of his phone made Blair moan as he rolled over on his bed trying to grab the loud, offensive object, with his eyes still closed. On the third ring he picked up, turning on his back and looking up at the ceiling of the warehouse that served him as an apartment as he answered. “Hello,” he whispered sleepily, rubbing his face with his free hand to clear away the grogginess of sleep as he tried to nestle into the blankets and keep warm.

“Good morning Guide Sandburg,” Dr. McCoy began with a little less enthusiasm after his talk with Sentinel Ellison. “We have good news. We found you a compatible sentinel.”

“A sentinel,” Blair answered glancing at the clock. It was 9:20 in the morning. Idly, he wondered why discussions of sentinels and guides had to happen so early in the morning. Yesterday, Eli had dragged him to the Sentinel Center at 9:00 and today he was getting calls about sentinels and guides at 9:20. He didn’t have class today and was planning on sleeping in, a rarity in the life of a student/teaching assistant.

“Yes and we would like to arrange a meeting as soon as possible.”

Blair considered this. He had spent the whole of last night trying to decide what to do about his awakening empathy. And after countless hours of pacing his warehouse he had decided he would try and live without bonding. Being a guide just didn’t go with his life plans. “I’ve decided not to bond,” he stated. “I’m going to use mediation to deal with…” he paused not exactly sure what he was dealing with. “With my little problem,” he finished at last.

“Guide Sandburg, you are a level 5 empath. This is not a little problem that meditation can handle. You need a bond to stabilize your gift.” Blair snorted at that, knowing bonding would do more than stabilize his empathy. It would enhance it.

“If I bond my empathy will come completely online. I’m not ready for that, man. I’ll try and deal with this myself, so thanks but no thanks.” 

“But…” was the last word Blair heard as he hung up the phone and rolled over trying to go back to sleep.

In his office, Dr. McCoy looked at the phone in dismay. Bringing compatible sentinels and guides together was supposed to be easy and yet these two were proving difficult. Maybe, he speculated it was the nature of level 5s to be difficult. There certainly hadn’t been enough of them to determine how they were predisposed to anything. He sighed considering the problem. He had been planning on getting Sentinel Ellison to meet Guide Sandburg and the Sentinel had agreed to come in at 10:30. McCoy knew he could introduce the sentinel to other guides but to give up the chance at a level 5 pairing seemed sacrilegious and yet what could he do? Even the military didn’t force sentinels and guides to bond.

Dr. McCoy was a bright and creative man, a doctor working with sentinels and guides had to be and he didn’t want to lose this opportunity, so he pulled out a piece of paper and pencil and began to doodle as he considered what to do. Doodling helped him concentrate. After several moments he stopped doodling and started tapping the pencil on his paper, a sure sign he had a plan, as a slow smiled spread across his face. The young man had been brought in by another faculty member, so perhaps that faculty member might have some influence. Pulling out the school directory he picked up the phone and dialed the anthropology department.

“Hello Dr. Stoddard,” he confirmed several minutes later when his call was redirected to the head of the anthropology department. “Good morning.” Stoddard on the other end of the phone returned his colleague’s greeting. “I wanted to thank you for directing Blair Sandburg to our office.” 

“It was obvious,” Stoddard replied, “that Blair was coming online. Thank Heavens it happened here where people are familiar with empaths and their needs.”

“I quite agree, if an empath comes online this is the best place for it to happen,” McCoy wondered how he could bring the conversation around to Blair’s need to bond and get the anthropologist to aid him but Stoddard forestalled him.

“Has Blair made an appointment to come in and meet some sentinels?” he asked and McCoy’s smile brightened.

“Not that I am aware of and really that is a shame. We have a level 5E sentinel who just came online and is coming in this morning at 10:30. It will be a missed opportunity.”

“A level 5 sentinel and you didn’t think to have him meet Blair?” Stoddard’s voice accused.

“Dr. Stoddard, I can not force a guide into the Center.” 

“I see,” Stoddard answered and McCoy was fairly certain the anthropologist did. “What time did you say the sentinel is coming in?”

“10:30.”

“Blair will be there even if I have to drag him there myself.”

***

Blair was just settling down to sleep again when the phone rang at 9:40. Groaning, he turned over and lifted the phone, realizing he should have unplugged it. “Hello,” he answered.

“Blair Sandburg, I want you in my office at 10:00,” Stoddard demanded with all the authority of a department chairman who approved the teaching assistant’s work hours and pay.

“What?” Blair sat up recognizing Eli’s voice. “Eli I don’t have a meeting scheduled with you this morning.” Blair glanced at the clock, his eyes growing bigger as he noted the time “and it’s 9:40. I’m not dressed. I can’t be there by 10:00.”

“I suggest you get a move on it young man. I’ll be expecting you at 10:00,” the head of anthropology hung up without another word. Blair, not knowing what was going on, looked at the clock and jumped out of bed, heading for the shower in near panic.

At 10:15, as Stoddard watched the clock with some concern, hoping his assistant wouldn’t disappoint him, Blair darted into Stoddard’s office, waving to the secretary as he rushed by. Usually, he stopped to have a chat with the woman on the way in but he was late and a bit concerned over the abrupt summons and so simply ran past. Eli, seeing the harried young man immediately schooled his face into a frown while glancing at the clock but inside he smiled with satisfaction. He still had fifteen minutes to get Blair to the Sentinel Center on the other side of the campus. Standing and walking around the desk he took a critical look at the empath, seeing the flustered student and deciding he looked more like the 16 year old boy than the teaching fellow employee. In a rush to get to Stoddard’s meeting Blair had raced through shower and shaving, grabbed clothes that were more than slightly wrinkled giving him a disheveled look, left his hair loose so it was flying about his face, ignored the ringing of his phone letting his answering machine pick up messages from some military agencies and run into the anthropology building. “I’m sorry to be late sir,” he began trying to catch his breath, “but I was in bed when you called.” 

Stoddard nodded a hand coming to rest on Blair’s arm as he smiled. “Well you are here now, that’s what is important and we have enough time to get to the Sentinel Center. I’ve arranged for you to meet a sentinel.”

“What?” Blair stopped his eyes wide and panicky. “Eli, I’m not…” he paused biting back the words he had been about to release. He didn’t want to say he wasn’t going to bond. “I’m not ready.” Blair tried to take a seat but Eli pulled him up and turned him towards the door.

“I suggest you get ready rather quickly because we have a 10:30 appointment,” he ushered Blair out the door.

***

Arriving at the Sentinel Center at 10:25, Jim walked up to the receptionist’s desk and looked down at the young woman. She really was a very attractive woman; her hair was brown but had reddish strands running through it, her eyes a dark green with little flecks of gold. Realizing he could probably zone on the eyes, Jim looked away momentarily and then turned back. 

“I have…”

“Yes Sentinel Ellison, Dr. McCoy is expecting you. He is in the second floor conference room. Through the doors, the elevator on the left, room 208,” she directed, smiling and watching him with interest. Nodding, though internally he cringed at the idea that these strangers already knew who and what he was, he walked past and headed for the doors as the unlikely pair he had seen yesterday came in, the young man walking backwards to face his colleague, his hands flying as he spoke. Jim paid no attention to their conversation but heard the words bond and South America as he walked through the white noise generators. He was just entering the elevator, when a voice called out asking him to hold the door and he did, so the two men could get in, the older man giving him a nod of thanks.

As the elevator door closed circulating stale air, the scent that had tickled his nose yesterday wafted over to him and Jim glanced at the men out of the corner of his eye as he controlled a desire to turn and inspect them. The scent was coming from the younger man and he guessed the student must be a guide. Setting his jaw and breathing through his mouth to keep the scent from overwhelming him, Jim fought to keep from moving toward the young man - something his instincts were crying out for him to do. Instead, he stubbornly plastered his eyes on the lights above the door, curling his hands into fists and digging his nails into his palms as he waited until the door swung open. Stepping out as soon as he could and taking a breath, he glanced around and seeing 208 in the distance turned and marched off, hopefully, leaving behind the guide.

The door was slightly open and Jim walked in stopping for just one moment a hand shielding his eyes to allow them to adjust to the stronger lighting before looking around and seeing Dr. McCoy who smiled and indicated the coffee pot on the side table. “The coffee is completely organic and made with filtered water. You should find it acceptable, Sentinel Ellison,” he invited. “And I apologize for the strong lighting. There was a director’s meeting in here last night and they don’t have sentinel eyes.” As he said this Dr. McCoy made his way to the light controls on the wall and began adjusting the ambient lighting. Finishing, he glanced at Jim raising an eyebrow.

“Thanks,” Jim walked over to the coffee pot as the two men he shared the elevator with entered the room, the younger one looking dazed; the older man keeping a strong grip on him to steady him. For one second, Jim considered the idea that they might be following him and some part of him didn’t seem to mind the younger man doing just that, but then he clamped down on the feeling as the older man seated the unsteady guide. Dr. McCoy was at the young man’s side almost immediately putting a bottle of water into shaky hands and nodding to Stoddard. 

“Empathic reaction,” he glanced at Jim thoughtfully. “He should be fine in a minute.” 

“It’s been happening off and on all week though not to this degree. That’s how I realized he was coming online.”

“Guide Sandburg,” McCoy said gently and waited until the dazed look disappeared and dark blue eyes looked up at him. When Blair nodded, Dr. McCoy smiled. “Good.” He turned to Jim. “Sentinel James Ellison, I would like you to meet Guide Blair Sandburg,” he stepped back watching the men thoughtfully. If he was expecting some kind of fireworks as the level 5s met, he was doomed to disappointment. Jim and Blair turned and looked at each other critically, neither moving closer, as most sentinel guide pairs did, neither saying anything. Finally, when it became apparent neither would speak Dr. McCoy continued, first addressing Jim. “Guide Sandburg is a teaching assistant here at Rainier and,” he turned to the guide, “Sentinel Ellison is a detective with the Cascade’s Major Crimes Unit.” 

Neither man spoke and after a moment Dr. McCoy looked over at Stoddard. He could imagine the confusion the older man must be feeling. The public’s perception of sentinels and guides revolved around the idea that they were destined life partners and some magic connection existed even at their first meeting. That was not quite the truth. Sentinels and guides had to find some level of compatibility more in tuned with their personalities than any magical influences before the bond could even be considered. Usually, sentinels and guides met two or three of their counterparts before bonding. But normally, they came online by degrees which kept dangers of internal or external spikes and zones to a minimum. As far as McCoy knew, no level 5 had ever suddenly come online until these two, but because of the high sensitivity level, time became a significant factor in getting them bonded. 

McCoy hoped these two would find some common ground. It was too much of a dream to be ignored, a level 5 pair here in Cascade. He would be able to study them, unobtrusively of course, but a study would show the absolute potential of the entire sentinel guide population. That is, once they were trained and that training loomed in both men’s futures. Whether bonded to each other or another, they would be sent for the mandated training: the sentinel learning about his own abilities and how to support the empathic guide, to keep him from overloading, keep him mentally shielded when his barriers were low. The guide’s training would detail his own abilities and how to bring a sentinel out of a zone, identify what causes spikes and learn how to ground a sentinel so he could use his senses. It was truly a symbiotic relationship and one bouncing with synergy. Except these two didn’t’ seem to be hitting it off too well. “Perhaps we should give them some privacy so they can get acquainted,” he addressed the senior anthropologist. He could tell the guide was feeling the bonding pressure. The dizzy spell was a sure sign that something had kicked his empathy into overdrive and with a strong sentinel so near, it wasn’t hard to figure what had done it. Both sentinel and guide looked at McCoy in astonishment bordering on panic, not the usual response but than usually sentinels and guides wanted to bond. “My office is down the hall room 215,” he informed the two men. “We’ll sit there for an hour and give the two of you some privacy.” He didn’t add he would turn on his office’s white noise generator and have a frank discussion with Dr. Stoddard.

Jim didn’t answer but took his coffee and walked over to the table taking a seat across from Blair. It was as far as he could get from the empath without appearing to be distancing himself. 

Blair, in response to the statement, gave Stoddard a pleading look but the professor returned it with a stern one softening the reprimand with a gentle squeeze to the young man’s shoulder before leaving the room.

In the awkward silence that followed the sentinel and guide appraised each other. Jim’s first thought being a less than flattering observation as he examined the colorful clothing  
Blair wore. “He’s a neo hippie witch doctor punk,” he decided but a pretty one he had to admit as he focused on Blair’s hair. Curly and long, the hair framed the guide’s face in a flattering way and for one moment Jim struggled with the temptation to touch the young man’s hair and feel its texture. He was sure it would feel like silk running across his fingers. It was filled with rich variations of brown and red though the overall effect was brown. Deciding it would not do to get any closer to the guide, Jim sat back and took a sip of his coffee, conscious of the fact that this was the first man he had ever found attractive. Just as quickly, but with a trickling of unease, he surmised the attraction had to be a sentinel guide thing.

Blair looking at the sentinel had come to his own conclusions. The man was a major alpha male exuding serious aggression. “A behavioral throwback to a pre-civilized breed of man,” he decided, but the empath had to admit the man had a body to die for and eyes that Blair knew he could get lost in. Getting close to the sentinel made him dizzy and he suspected it had to do with the sentinel guide thing, so he leaned back watching the detective, trying to ignore the disapproving vibes filtering off the man.

They sat in silence for sometime but finally, the silence uncomfortable, Blair tried to open conversation, it was something he was generally good at. Hell, he had talked his way out of trouble when dealing with South American tribes that didn’t speak his language. “I’m working on my dissertation on closed societies. I’ve actually studied the police department from a distance. I wanted to do a ride along with the police but couldn’t get an observer’s pass.”

Jim nodded liking the soft timber of the guide’s voice. “The brass doesn’t like giving out observer passes. Afraid civilians will get hurt.”

Blair considered the statement as the silence settled again. After a minute Jim decided it was his turn to try and break the painful quiet. “I came online a week ago,” he admitted. “I was doing a stake out and I lost the suspect because my senses spiked.”

Blair nodded his sympathies. “I came online a week ago too. All of a sudden emotions were crowding me. It was,” there was a slight pause, “not pleasant.” Again silence descended on the room and Blair rose and got a cup of coffee coming back to his seat aware that Jim was watching him closely. Deciding to meet the topic of bonding head on, he looked at Jim. “Look man, I know they want us to bond because we’re both level fives, but I think our lifestyles are just too different. I’m studying to be an anthropologist. I need to stay at Rainier and finish my doctorate. I don’t have the time to work in the police department.”

“You don’t have to justify yourself to me Chief. I somehow don’t see you as a cop’s partner anyway.”

Not the right thing to say to Blair who, with a touch of insecurity, was already comparing his smaller physique to the sentinel’s. He sat up straighter with indignation. If this macho male thought Blair was any less capable than the caveman before him because he wasn’t as big or strong, well he had another think coming. What he lacked in muscles he more than made up for in brains. “I could be,” he answered defiantly and then swallowed as Jim’s eyes roamed over him speculatively.

“No offense,” Jim held up his hands. “I didn’t mean to imply you couldn’t do the job. It’s just you seem more an academic.”

Blair wondered how seeming “academic” could sound so like an insult and what his mother, an anti-establishment flower child would think as he added, “You know, maybe I could be your ride along for a couple of weeks. I could get information about my dissertation. It would be a great opportunity and I probably could get permission if they thought I was doing it because I was considering bonding.”

Jim considered Blair thoughtfully. It would take the pressure off about bonding. No one would bother them if the department thought they were considering bonding. “Answer one question, Chief. Do you want to bond?”

Blair looked embarrassed as he shook his head. “Not really, my boss sort of forced me here to meet you today.”

Jim smiled, the effect lighting his face, and Blair decided that smile was something beautiful to see before wondering if it was an attraction thing or a sentinel guide thing. “Neither do I and my boss was pretty insistent too,” he admitted and saw the smile matched on Blair’s face. “Maybe a ride along would get everyone else to leave us alone while we each figured out how to control our senses.”

Blair nodded his agreement. “Could you get me an observer’s pass? It really would help me with my dissertation?”

“I think so if I tell them we’re seeing if this will work as a sentinel guide thing. Guides are allowed to travel with sentinels even if they’re not cops.”

“Sounds good,” a slight pause and then in a slightly questioning voice, “Jim,” he watched the sentinel closely and saw him nod his agreement as he reached across the table offering his hand. Blair took it but regretted it immediately as he felt something like electric energy run through him. Jim pulled back looking at his hand and Blair realized he felt it too. They “would have to be careful,” Blair decided keeping this observation to himself, “especially careful of any physical contact. It could lead to something more.”

As the sentinel and guide worked out their nefarious dealings, down the hall in McCoy’s office Stoddard watched the doctor thoughtfully. “As an anthropologist I am used to observing cultures, rituals, and people. I take it from your reaction that this was an atypical response.” 

“Yes, I would say that,” McCoy agreed sitting back and glancing at the bookshelves filled with information on sentinels and guides, his eyes moving lovingly over the Richard Burton title. “I might even call that an understatement. But as they are the first level 5 pair to ever come online together, we are in unexplored territory in many ways.” He glanced back at the anthropologist thoughtfully. “Most people are thrilled to learn they are sentinels and guides. These two are exceptions in so many ways.”

Stoddard nodded remembering his argument to get Blair even to test. “What can I do to help?”

“Blair must bond,” McCoy answered immediately and emphatically. “That is a given. If he doesn’t, his empathy will eventually overwhelm him. I think we would all prefer if he were to bond with Jim. That is, if we want both to reach their full potential, something I am not sure either of them wants.”

“He is stubborn,” Stoddard admitted, “but he is not stupid. At some point he will have to bond and will realize it.”

McCoy nodded. “Hopefully he will realize it before the sentinel chooses another partner. In Jim’s line of work he will need a guide soon.”

Stoddard thought about this for a moment. “Yes, I can see that. He can’t afford to spike or zone, it could get him or a partner killed. What’s the best way to expedite the process?”

“I’m not sure expedite is the best word choice here but we need to keep them together. The longer they are together and the closer the proximity the more likely instinctive bonding will do the rest. First level bonding can happen very quickly, sometimes without the sentinel or guide even aware of it and those two are already showing signs of first level bonding.”

“Are you sure?” Stoddard asked. “I saw Blair’s reaction but that might be his empathy asserting itself. To lesser degrees it has been happening all week.”

“Oh yes.” McCoy smiled. “When you brought Blair in his empathy was reacting to the sentinel. And before you ask, Jim was reacting to Blair as well. I was watching him. He was scenting Blair and fighting a desire to get closer. He did not choose his seat at the table idly. I would stake my reputation on the fact that he was trying to get some distance from the guide because he could feel the attraction.”

“But what if they are not compatible?” Stoddard asked.

McCoy sighed. “If they weren’t compatible I doubt they would have made it to the steps of first level bonding. That’s the first sign of a strong sentinel guide bond. It is actually instinctive on their parts. The biggest danger here is if the sentinel bonds with a level 4 guide or if the guide bonds will a level 4 sentinel before these two commit to each other. I assure you, a level 4 would jump at the chance of getting either of them. That is why we need to keep them together. It will keep other sentinels and guides away and build the bond.”

Stoddard considered this. “Blair is studying closed societies for his dissertation and has never been an observer at the police department. We might be able to push him towards the sentinel that way.”

McCoy nodded at the idea. “We will give them a little time and see if they move toward bonding naturally. If not we can try.” He considered the anthropologist. “Do you have any other questions while we wait?”

***

Blair and Jim were still seated at the table, Blair animatedly describing his time with some tribe in South America, when Stoddard and McCoy returned looking hopefully at the pair. Stoddard smiling sat beside his assistant watching the young man’s energetic expression as Dr. McCoy watched the pair. “How are you doing?” McCoy asked and Jim shrugged as Blair glanced at the doctor.

“Jim’s going to get me an observer’s pass and I’ll try traveling with him,” he answered and noted that McCoy and Stoddard seemed pleased though he doubted they would if they knew it was a ploy to keep from bonding.

“I think that is a very good idea,” McCoy agreed. “Can you arrange it today?”

“I’ll try,” Jim replied. “I’ll talk to my captain when I get to work.”

“Perhaps Blair should go with you,” McCoy suggested and before Blair could answer, Stoddard spoke up agreeing. 

“That might be a very good idea,” he agreed. “It will give Blair a chance to see the reactions of police to his unique appearance before Jim has a chance to…um, forewarn them and might prove useful research for his dissertation. Since you did come online the university has covered your classes for the next week.” Before Blair could even protest, Stoddard put up a hand. “You are required by law as are all level 3 and higher sentinels and guides to attend sentinel guide training and that supersedes your classes. They need to be covered while you attend.” 

McCoy glancing over at Jim added, “You’re required to take the classes too but I imagine your schedule is more flexible since the police department runs 24 hours a day, so the two of you can work out a starting schedule and make whatever arrangements you need. My secretary will call with information about the class.”

It was obvious neither man wanted to take the class but it seemed they were stuck. Blair glanced at Jim who shrugged. “Can’t hurt to get the paperwork started,” he suggested rising. Blair nodded his agreement and followed the sentinel from the room keeping a good foot back from Jim.

Stoddard waited for some minutes after Blair left, knowing the sentinel would have exceptional hearing, before glancing at McCoy and asking, “How long?”

“How long?” he didn’t understand

“Yes, how long until they bond?” He watched McCoy smile.

“Give it two weeks.” McCoy nodded rising. “I had better go pull some strings and make sure they attend the same sentinel guide seminars. I don’t want them isolated from each other while being in the company of other guides and sentinels.”

“Do a lot of sentinels and guides come online at once?”

“No, and usually the class can be delayed for a week or two to accommodate numbers but with the way their senses have come online, I think we need to rush the class. Others might come for refreshers, lower level sentinels and guides who haven’t paired might attend to make sure they are keeping their senses in control so the chances are, there may be several sentinels and guides in the class.” He turned toward the door. “I just hope they do end up together. It will be an incredible waste if they don’t.”

***

The bullpen was a lively place with people rushing about dodging each other, phones ringing, people shouting to one another, and other vibrant and exciting business when Blair followed Jim through the doors and into Major Crimes. Several detectives glanced up at Jim, most giving him a nod and then glanced at Blair wonderingly, noting the lack of handcuffs but said nothing as Jim led Blair to his desk and offered him a seat. “You just sit here and I’ll let my captain know you’re here.” He gave a quick glance around the room noting fellow detectives Henri Brown – referred to affectionately as H by his colleagues and Detective Brian Rafe referred to just as affectionately as Rafe - watching from the other side of the room. Two of the nosiest detectives in Major Crimes, Jim didn’t doubt they would be interrogating the guide as soon as Jim walked away. Glancing again at Blair, he couldn’t help but smile at the idea of Blair working within the PD. He seemed an unlikely candidate for anything except possibly vice with his colorful clothes that screamed youth, his large innocent looking blue eyes open in wonder and speculation as he took in the room, his student pose with notebook open in hand, and of course, the studious pencil tucked securely behind one ear. Walking to Simon’s door he knocked and entered chewing on a toothpick. 

Simon looked up at Jim as he opened the door. “Hey, Simon, I’m back and I brought the guide with me. I thought you might want to meet him.” Simon looked at Jim detecting a note of smugness in his chief detective’s voice that internally made him cringe. Standing and straightening his dark suit, he nodded as he walked around his desk. He was fairly certain from his detective’s posture that this was not going to be something he would like.

“Well, bring him in,” the captain answered and watched as Jim opened the captain’s door, staring across the busy room and noting the guide with, just as he predicted, the two detectives. 

Out in the bullpen Blair was standing, leaning against Jim’s desk his hands flying excitedly as he spoke to H and Rafe. Initially, the guide had felt unwelcome as he entered the bullpen his senses clearly cataloguing the negative vibes, but after a greeting by the curious detectives who worked with Jim, he felt their suspicions ease and curiosity take over. Now, he was animatedly speaking with them. “I am an anthropology major and this is fascinating,” he was saying with a bright smile, a hand sweeping the room as Jim tuned in to the conversation from the doorway.

“What’s an anthropology student doing here?” Rafe asked looking over the young man with some interest.

“I’m studying closed societies and since I’m a guide and Detective Ellison is a sentinel...”

“Than it’s true,” H cut off the young man. “Jim’s a sentinel.” He glanced at his partner with a quick smile putting out his hand. With a playful snarl, Rafe reached into his wallet and handed Brown five bucks. Blair paused; he hadn’t realized Jim’s colleagues didn’t know he was a sentinel. He hoped Jim wouldn’t be upset about his letting them know, betraying information wasn’t the best way to begin a partnership even if they weren’t planning on bonding. Anyway, he told himself countering his own concern, Jim’s status as sentinel would be common knowledge pretty soon; it wasn’t the kind of thing you could hide.

“He must be a pretty high level sentinel if they are already giving him a guide. What’s his level?” Rafe asked. Blair paused. He had already screwed up by telling them Jim was a sentinel; he wasn’t going to compound the error.

“Don’t you think you should ask Jim?” 

“Ah come on hair boy,” Rafe wheedled as Blair gave him an indulgent smile. Seeing he wasn’t going to get an answer, Rafe continued. “Okay, you won’t tell us Jim’s level so how about telling us yours? Or is that a secret?” Blair shook his head still smiling, the movement causing the pencil behind his ear to fall, his hair cascading forward to frame his face, something that did not go unnoticed by the interested detective in front of him. Bending Blair retrieved his writing implement as he schooled his face before looking up at Rafe. 

“Okay,” Blair thought. “The detective is not used to empaths. He doesn’t know I can feel his desire.” 

“If I tell you that, I’m sure you’ll use those brilliant deductive skills that got you into Major Crimes to guess Jim’s level. Why don’t you just ask him?”

“The last person who asked Jim a personal question is still recovering in the hospital,” H answered.

“They say he’ll be out in a week,” Jim added walking over. He was amused to see all three men jump in surprise. They’d have to get used to the fact that Jim’s hearing was exceptional. 

“Come on Jim, give us the scoop,” H turned to face Ellison.

“I’m a sentinel,” Jim admitted trying for patience. He could see that answer wasn’t going to be enough and sighed as he added, “a level 5.”

“A five, do you know what that means?” Rafe asked. Jim shrugged and Rafe gave him an exasperated look. “We’ll beat homicide’s close rate this year. They’ll be buying the scotch in December.” He smiled brightly as Jim shook his head.

“I’m a sentinel not a miracle worker Rafe.”

“Yeah, and our close rate was right behind them last year and they have the only sentinel guide pair in the station. We now have an edge my man,” he smiled happily as Jim shook his head turning to Blair. 

“The captain’s waiting to meet you.”

Blair nodded and turned to follow Jim into the office as H yelled out, “Welcome to Major Crimes, Hair Boy.”

A minute later Blair entered Simon’s office trying to balance a backpack on his shoulder as he quickly jotted some notes about his meeting with the two detectives. He looked to smile at the captain and then looked higher as he realized this man was even taller than Jim. If Jim was about a half foot taller, the captain of Major Crimes was closer to three quarters of a foot taller. “Hi,” he stopped uncertainly picking up less than friendly vibes as Simon dropped an unlit cigar back onto his desk before glancing at his detective’s amused face.

“Captain Simon Banks, this is Guide Blair Sandburg, doctoral student at Rainier.”

“How do you do?” the captain would not have made it to captain if he wasn’t capable of handling strange situations and so he smiled even as he cringed thinking that the young man was “a neo hippie flower child.” He glanced at Ellison to see if this was some practical joke but the detective gave him a nasty knowing smile and shrugged. Turing back to Blair he smiled again, though Blair thought it rather dour. “I understand you are a level 5 guide?” he asked and received a nod from the guide who held his ground. So far, the police force was proving an interesting mix of competitive friendliness amongst their own and unfriendly judgmental biases about outsiders if the initial reactions the empath had picked up were anything to go by, but Blair was not easily intimidated. He had a lot of experience with being around people who were bigger, stronger and less than welcoming when they took a first look at him. He had always been the youngest and smallest kid in his classes all the way through college and his five foot eight stature left him on the short side so he learned to live with it.

“I came online a week ago.”

“So did Jim,” the captain looked over the young man and then turned to his detective with resignation. “So what do we do next?” he asked.

“We thought it might be a good idea to have Blair ride along for a couple of weeks and see if he and police work are compatible before we try the bonding thing,” Jim answered. Banks nodded, again looking over the young man and wondering how big a difference there could be between a level four and five guide and if a level four guide might prove viable before giving a shrug. Ellison was the one who was going to have to deal with the kid.

“Take him down to personnel and get the paperwork done. If he passes the security clearance I’ll sign off on it.” His smile returned as he glared at his detective, payback being a bitch. “And you are scheduled to start classes on sentinels and guides tomorrow. It’s a four day seminar. I got a phone call about it a few minutes ago, so adjust your schedule accordingly.” He glanced at Blair. “The Sentinel Institute asked me to relay the message that you are starting classes too. Rhonda’s got all the details.”

“Simon I don’t have time…” 

The captain cut the sentinel off. “It’s out of my hands detective. The law requires that you take the class, so have fun,” he dismissed them waving a hand at the door before walking back to his desk.

With a dismal sigh, Jim led Blair down to records and got him started on the paperwork while he went back up to his desk to sort out what he could and couldn’t do in the next week. The Switchman case was still his priority and so he pulled the files to review while he waited for Blair. The detective decided he would sit through the class, he didn’t have much of a choice in the matter and then come in and catch a couple of hours of work after. The law required he take the class but it didn’t stop him from working after the class. He was still reviewing the work when Simon came out of his office. 

“Where’s the kid?”

“Personnel with Vera filling out the paperwork.”

“He’s not what I expected,” Simon admitted glancing over his very tired looking friend. “You all right?”

“Yeah,” Jim nodded. “My senses have been spiking at night. It makes getting sleep a little harder.”

“Could the kid help with that?”

“I don’t know, probably at some point. It’s just all so new.” 

Simon sighed. “I want you to give some of your cases over to Rafe and H. You’re going to need a little time to settle into the sentinel thing and you’re going to take that class.” Simon watched Jim’s jaw lock as he tensed but the detective merely nodded. “Will you be able to keep up with the switchman? I could reassign it if necessary.”

“I’ll come in and work on it after the class,” Jim answered. “You know I need to keep up with this one. He’s been targeting me.”

Simon glanced over, along with the other detectives in the office, as Blair bounced into the bullpen all energy and curiosity and gave a chuckle as he shook his head. There was something almost endearing about Blair Sandburg and Banks realizing he was smiling, scowled to cover it. “You’d better fill the kid in on the case and make sure you make it to that class tomorrow.” He turned and headed away as Blair came up to the desk, notebook still open.

Lifting his papers, Jim turned with an air of resignation. “Come on Chief, we’ll use one of the conference rooms. I want to fill you in on one of my cases.”

In the conference room, Jim spread out the papers across the table and began a detailed history of the Switchman ending when he finally reached the point that he spiked just three days before. Blair far more subdued than when he was researching for his thesis listened to Jim’s information, guesses and insights, putting his glasses on to read the reports and the forensic information before finally looking over the rim of his glasses at the detective. “I think we should go back to the crime scene.”

“Why? The forensic and bomb squad people have been through it.”

“You don’t get it.” Blair shook his head. “You’re an online sentinel, a level five, man. I’m sure there’s stuff out there that you could find that would take them weeks to identify.” Jim looked less than convinced. “Look Jim, I may not want to be a guide and you may not want to be a sentinel, but that doesn’t change the fact that we are and that you can sense things others can’t and it could help you find the bomber before he strikes again.” Instinctively, Blair reached out a hand to support the man but pulled back at the last moment as he realized what he was about to do. Physically he had to stay clear of the sentinel as much as possible for both their sakes. “We need to go there,” he coaxed.

Thinking over Blair’s words the detective finally nodded. He doubted he would find anything but it couldn’t hurt to get another look at the crime scene. “Okay,” Jim grabbed his papers and began to put them together. “I’ll put these away and then we’ll go look at the scene.” Blair nodded his agreement. He might not be happy about his role as a guide but he had always been amazed by what sentinels could do and didn’t doubt that Jim could find something that the forensics people had missed. Walking back into the bullpen with the detective, Blair just hoped Jim wouldn’t zone as they were searching the crime scene. The guide wasn’t all that sure what he would do if Jim did.

Blair had followed Jim to the police station in his ‘classic’ Volvo. To Jim’s thinking it was a pile of junk but since Jim didn’t want to sit around waiting for a mechanic when it broke down on the road as he was certain it would, he insisted that Blair travel with him to the crime scene. However, traveling with Blair required a great deal of discipline and control. The guide’s scent, which Jim had already imprinted as “Blair scent” was an enticing smell and continuously tickled the nose of the sentinel in ways that nothing else ever had. Jim suspected it had something to do with bonding and purposefully ignored it realizing he had best get used to it since they would be traveling together for the next few weeks. It would not be easy but Jim was nothing if not disciplined. He kept his window partially open, blasting his face with cold air through the drive and ignored his sense of smell and the steady heartbeat that his senses already knew to be Blair’s.

As Jim was ignoring Blair’s sound and scent, the empath pressed up against the passenger door as far from the sentinel as he could get, was just as determinedly ignoring a dizzying attraction to Jim. He could almost physically feel a connection tying him to Jim’s emotions and had to fight an overwhelming desire to open his own barriers and soothe the sentinel’s senses. And Jim’s shields beckoned him seductively. A sentinel’s shields surrounded and protected an empath allowing the empath to relax a little of the tight control he constantly needed against the world at large. Trying to keep his empathy walled in, he clamped down on emotions some his, some – he suspected Jim’s - and decided he would need a lot more meditation and control if he was going to travel with the sentinel. But he decided it would be good practice, if he could keep Jim at bay than he would learn to get by with no sentinel. Both men engrossed in suppressing their instincts didn’t realize what Dr. McCoy would have recognized and been shocked at seeing happen so quickly; with all their repressions and plotting, they had, for all intents, completed first level bonding.

***

Arriving at the crime scene, Jim was not happy looking over the wrecked building where he had almost caught the bomber. It was a reminder of his failure to catch the perp and the site where his unwanted sentinel abilities had finally kicked in full force. Mangled wood and iron dotted the ground and little remained that wasn’t charred and destroyed. Walking through the remains, his nose wrinkling at the overpowering smell of burnt materials, Jim shook his head discounting his own abilities until Blair decided to set the sentinel straight. Blair might not be happy about becoming a part of the world of sentinels and guides, he didn’t want to depend on someone else to keep his own senses straight but he still felt a sense of awe when he looked at what a sentinel could do. He was an anthropology student and had read of tribal cultures whose very existence depended on the sentinel that guarded the tribe. Realizing he had to get Jim to acknowledge that he could do something with his senses, Blair turned as Jim threw a piece of scrap back at the building.

“Stop,” he demanded and watched Jim look over at him in surprise. “You are not looking at this like a sentinel.”

“And just how does a sentinel look at this wreck, Chief?” Jim answered less his voice reflecting his irritation.

“With all his senses,” Blair countered. “Don’t shut them down, open them up.”

“All my senses,” Jim repeated. “There’s nothing to find here.”

Blair shook his head and picked up two burnt pieces from the wreckage calling Jim over and asking him to identify them with only his sense of touch, showing him just how detailed he could get and then encouraged him to reach out with his senses, the guide’s voice low and encouraging. Any bonded guide could have told Blair he was using a “guide voice” and his sentinel would react to it, but the teaching assistant didn’t have another guide around and would not have welcomed the observation anyway. But the result of Blair’s little push was the first really tangible clue, a piece of blue fabric that the perp had worn. 

The rest of the day was spent tracking down the elusive scent on the fabric and after finding the scent was a specialized mix of several floral oils, they found the name of the bomber, Veronica Sarris, the disturbed daughter of one of Jim’s men who died in Peru.

Relieved to close the case and ignoring the fact that both the Captain and detectives of Major Crimes saw the sudden and speedy closing as one of the perks of having a sentinel guide pair, Jim dropped Blair by his car and went home to relax before starting his sentinel class the next day. He made no plans to hook up with Blair at the class; he was finding Blair’s presence too enticing but thanked the young man before driving home to his loft where he grabbed a beer and watched a game, more rested than he had been in a week. At one point he realized how calm and relaxed he was, how the headache he had been suffering from all week had disappeared, and tried to chalk up his state to closing the Switchmen case but some inner voice that refused to be lied to acknowledged working with a guide had enhanced his senses and kept them from spiking painfully all day.

***

Blair got up the next morning feeling refreshed. It had been a long time since he felt this good in the morning and as he stretched his muscles, enjoying the feel of skin pulling tight and loosening, he realized emotions hadn’t bothered him while traveling with Jim. It had been the first respite in a week. With a dismal sigh at the implications, he let the weight of his new status fall on him and crawled out from beneath his warm blankets and into the cooler air of the large warehouse. Heading towards the shower he decided he would have to spend a lot more time meditating if he intended to keep from bonding. 

An hour later, having gone through multiple messages on his answering machine from various military agencies inviting him in for meetings, notebook in one hand, paper coffee cup in the other, and ever present backpack over one shoulder, Blair entered the classroom at the Sentinel Institute and looked around. There were six people standing near the coffee urn, most tall and muscular and Blair decided they must be sentinels. It was a strange phenomenon and Blair guessed it was part of the genetic coding that male sentinels were all tall and muscular and female sentinels were tall and incredibly fast and agile. He guessed it was a necessary part of being a tribal warrior.

Stepping further into the room, he stopped as 3 pairs of eyes turned and studied him speculatively and he decided he knew what a prize turkey felt like at a fair as the sentinels neared, their nostrils flaring as they scented him recognizing he was unbonded. The guide didn’t smell anything different about himself but he had read that online unbonded guides gave off some kind of scent that sentinels could sense. Blair took a quick breath, ignoring the less than subtle affect the gathered sentinels had on his empathy and glanced around for Jim, finding him already seated at the large round table. Before any of the sentinels could get closer and introduce themselves he made a beeline for the detective dropping into the seat beside him and moving it as close to the detective as he could comfortably get, ignoring how his own body reacted to Jim. “Hi Jim,” he said loudly knowing the sentinels would hear. 

“You okay, Chief?” Jim asked, realizing Blair’s problem and dropping a possessive arm over the younger man’s shoulders and drawing him even closer. He tried to ignore the immediate effect of the contact, the sudden flair of his senses as they focused on the young man, his hearing picking up Blair’s slightly elevated heartbeat (ignoring the fact that somehow he already recognized what was considered a normal heartbeat for the student) as he glanced around at the other sentinels who realizing the guide, if not bonded, was spoken for backed off.

“Thanks,” Blair whispered quietly, his body unconsciously turning into the sentinel’s, his heartbeat rising even more as his empathy drew him into the sentinel’s emotional and psychic circle. Realizing all his senses were training on Blair, Jim pulled away regretting the younger man’s sudden sharp gasp at the loss of contact and nodded. In response, Blair closed his eyes momentarily to center himself, reminding himself he didn’t want to be a guide, and then pulled back a little as he looked up at the instructor who was just stepping up to the podium.

Dr. Francine Strickland walked into the room and glanced around at the assembled sentinels and guides. She could never tell in advance what the balance of guides to sentinels would be since the participants came for many reasons. Some might just have come online, others (usually unbonded level 2s) came because their empathy or senses were spiking and needed some refresher training. Upon occasion a bonded pair would come because they were having some problems with their bonding, usually that had more to do with the fact that they had spouses than anything else. So, the professor looked out at the assembled group with interest. She had actually been given some specific directions with regard to this particular group. She made a rule of never looking at the sentinel or guide’s ratings before the class and yet this time she had been called into Dr. McCoy’s office prior to the class and told to do just that. 

“You know I don’t do that?” she began and the head of the Sentinel Institute shook his head. 

“I know but I have good reason for you to look.” Leaning across the desk, the doctor looked into his colleague’s dark brown eyes. “I have one pair that I want kept together.” He held up a hand in preparation for Strickland’s protest. “I know you usually mix unbonded sentinels and guides up during the class so they can get some comparative input but not this pair.”

“Why not?”

Dr. McCoy handed her the printout of the upcoming class. “I want the level 5 guide only with the level 5 sentinel. I realize there is a level 4 sentinel in that class. I don’t want her matched with the guide.”

Strickland nodded her understanding, “I don’t think we’ve ever recorded a level 5 pair.” 

McCoy nodded smiling. “That is why you are going to keep them together no matter what exercises you do.”

“Okay,” she agreed. “I always have several configurations in case I end up with a class of just sentinels or guides.”

Looking at the roster and the group, most of whom were near the coffee pot, she smiled pushing back her white hair. “Good morning,” she called not too loudly. “I’m Dr. Strickland, welcome.” She watched as the group took seats around the table. “If I might get you to give your name and why you are attending we can make sure the class is tailored to everyone’s needs.” She took out a pad and glanced to her left invitingly.

The first participant was a new guide, Jenny Chou. She was pretty, a 22 year old secretary who had finally come online. The next two participants were unbonded sentinels working on their senses. After that Alex Barnes announced she was newly online and a level 4E. Blair glanced at Jim when Alex announced her rating but Jim gave no reaction. To Alex’s right a bonded pair informed the group they wanted refresher training and then Jim Ellison looked up and stated he was a sentinel who came online the previous week with no other information forthcoming. Following Jim’s example Blair announced himself as a guide who came online the previous week without listing his rating but somehow he suspected all the sentinels could tell he was a high rated guide. He would have to ask Jim about that later.

Nodding at them, the doctor glanced around the room. She knew her next words would be inflammatory especially to the level 5 sentinel sitting in the room but the participants all needed to know where they stood with regard to their abilities. “Ladies and gentlemen,” she announced with a smile, “let me start by saying that all of you have extraordinary gifts. But those same gifts that make you so special also have a flip side. Nature balances her gifts. If you have super senses or the ability to analyze and feel out other’s needs, those same abilities make you more vulnerable to outside influences.” She glanced around seeing that just as she suspected most of the participants were looking less than happy. One in particular was looking extremely annoyed, James Ellison. “As strong as sentinels and guides are, they are all in need of protection and the stronger the abilities the stronger the need. That is why Mother Nature made bonding instinctive in the pairs. I need to say this upfront, before we even start. Sentinels and Guides are, in many ways, more fragile than their less gifted counterparts; which is why sentinels and guides must bond. The stronger the sentinel or guide the more imperative it becomes because the bond mate will act as a buffer against whatever outside influences could be of harm, be they external stimuli or empathic in nature.” She looked down at her notes. “We will be covering this topic in detail as well as other pertinent information related to the abilities. If you look at the screen, I’ll cover the agendas for our sessions.” Dr. Strickland went on to discuss the agendas for the next four days. Day one would deal with sentinel abilities in the morning session, guide abilities in the afternoon. Day two would reverse the order and deal with supporting empath’s barriers and dealing with empathic overload in the morning and sentinel spikes and zones in the afternoon. Day three would deal with bonding and day four getting the most out of pairing.

Settling into the academic life he was used to, Blair began taking notes as the instructor moved them through the course work but as he worked he couldn’t help feeling some kind of nervous flutter every time he looked around the table and saw Alex Barnes. She was beautiful and normally Blair would have loved getting to know a tall, leggy blonde who obviously had some interest in him but there was something about her that worried the guide. She kept glancing at him with a hungry look and his empathy was sending out warning signals he couldn’t ignore. By lunch, he was jumpy and nervous and when the group adjourned to a smaller conference room where an organic lunch had been set up, Blair kept close to Jim.

“You okay Chief?” Jim asked as Blair almost collided with him keeping close.

“Fine,” he answered but Jim could tell from the racing heartbeat he wasn’t. 

Jim made a plate of food and taking a seat watched the group thoughtfully. He knew Blair was nervous around Alex Barnes but Jenny Chou, the other guide in the group, wasn’t and so Jim honed in on watching the other sentinel and noticed the way she ignored Chou while accidentally rubbing up against Blair, touching Blair and finally cornering Blair and despite the fact that the sentinel was a beauty Blair was not responding well.

Seeing Blair’s trapped look as he retreated from the sentinel, Jim had enough and rising walked over to where the blonde stood blocking Blair’s way. “Blair,” he called out and the woman turned, cold blue eyes narrowing, as she gave him her full appraisal. “I need to talk to you about work,” Jim reached out and snagged the young man’s wrist pulling him past Alex. “If you’ll excuse us,” he said with a smirk that indicated whether she did or not Blair was leaving.

Relief showed on the empath’s face as he quickly moved to take a seat beside his sentinel. “Thanks man,” he whispered sentinel soft. Jim gave him a nod before spending the next ten minutes discussing sentinel senses and their implications for work but Blair knew this was a cover. Jim had simply rescued him.

The class ran from 9 till 12 before the group had lunch and then ran from 1 till 4 while they covered empathic abilities. After the class, Jim rose stretching, relieved to get out of the class (he had forgotten how much he disliked being a student) and told Blair he was heading to the station to make sure the Switchman case was wrapped up tight. Blair nodded, understanding Jim’s need to follow the case through and decided to follow the detective’s good example by going to his office and checking on the lessons the substitute teacher would cover in his absence. Heading out neither man paid attention to Alex Barnes as she started for her car, her head tilted as if listening to something and Blair waved watching Jim leave before getting in his ‘classic’ Volvo and praying it would start. On the third try it did and he drove across the campus, parking near Hargrove Hall and going to his office in the basement.

Pulling his computer from his backpack, Blair reviewed the notes left by the teaching assistant filling in for him and then wrote other notes to add to the upcoming lectures. As he finished up emailing them to the other teaching assistant, there was a knock at the door and Blair looked up as Alex Barnes entered. Immediately on the defensive, the empath stood and moved to put the desk between him and the sentinel. “Can I help you?” he asked while eyeing the phone.

“I came to see you,” Alex smiled and came closer, pushing back her hair as she gazed at the empath, her blue eyes moving over him with interest.

“Ms. Barnes, I already told you I am not bonding with you,” Blair stated in a strong voice and the blonde smiled moving closer. Blair wanted to retreat as his senses began to pick up the sentinel’s vibes but somehow he suspected a show of weakness would only make her more aggressive.

“Yes, I heard you’re bonding with Ellison.” She ran her hand over the desk and the papers as she continued closing the distance slowly. “And does that make you happy?” she asked as she neared, her eyes level with his as Blair took a step back before finding a shelf behind him. “I can do things for you he can’t,” Barnes coaxed leaning in and scenting Blair as a hand ran down his cheek to land on his shoulder. “As a woman I have enticements he hasn’t got.” She leaned in letting her lips touch Blair’s as she pushed mentally at him. “You’ll get to sample them all with me as your sentinel,” she promised in a soft seductive voice.

As the sentinel pushed forward trying to bond, Blair’s body began to shudder as his empathy kicked into overdrive but not with desire. It was recoiling and trying to block Barnes who tried to push into his mind as he was bombarded by more and more of the sentinel’s aura. “Let me go. I’m not bonding with you.”

“I need a strong guide,” Barnes ignored Blair’s statement. “That girl in the class, she can’t hold a candle to you.” Alex let her hand slide down to gently squeeze between Blair’s legs as she mentally continued to push at the guide. “Drop your barriers guide.” It was an order and Blair took a deep breath to steady himself as he tightened his hold knowing if he dropped his barriers she would swoop in. 

“No,” he reached for her hand which was moving over his body mapping him, trying to arouse him. “Get out. I’ve already chosen my bond mate,” Blair yelled, one shaking hand reaching behind him, fumbling for the controls to his stereo equipment, ready to jack up the music as high as it would go knowing it would hurt the sentinel’s sensitive ears, and hopefully attract attention. As his hand closed on the knob, Blair watched Barnes tilt her head listening a moment to the sounds in the basement. He guessed she was hearing others nearby as her face turned dark with anger before she stepped back glaring at the empath.

“This is not over,” she promised and turning swept Blair’s papers and books from the desk before storming from the room. Blared watched her go feeling dazed as the adrenaline that had pumped through his body as the attack dissipated, leaving him dizzy and weak.

Sliding down into a seat as his legs suddenly turned to jelly Blair concentrated on breathing. His barriers were shot from the battle and he realized all the little episodes he had experienced in the week he came online were just that, little. This was a real empathic overload and it was painful to the point of being debilitating. On top of that, as his mental state deteriorated, Blair realized he still needed to get out of the university but he knew what he would face as soon as he walked out the door. Everyone’s emotions would come crashing in on him. Letting his head drop onto the desk he considered just staying the night in the office but there was no guarantee the disturbed sentinel wouldn’t come back. Blair knew he could hold her off mentally but with others’ emotions around it would become increasingly painful and ultimately unbearable. 

There really was only one option and slowly he reached for the phone. Even unbonded Jim could block some of the sensory input and Blair already knew his empathy wouldn’t react to Jim the way it had reacted to Barnes. He was safe with Jim.

 

***

At the station, Jim was talking with Simon and going over the day at the sentinel center, the two drinking coffee as the captain asked how Jim was doing with the kid. Jim had shrugged. He couldn’t come right out and say he and Blair had a scheme going to find a way to keep from bonding but the kid was okay in his book. “He gets under your skin, Simon,” Jim admitted with a smile.

“The two of you did pretty well closing the Switchman case,” Simon pointed out. “You did it in one day with his help.” Jim considered the statement and the plan to not bond and wondered how long he and Blair could hold off before people asked about the bonding. His thoughts were interrupted as his phone rang and he reached for it shrugging. Pulling it out of his pocket he answered, “Ellison.”

“Jim,” came a weak sounding voice on the other end of the phone and the sentinel straightened putting down the barely touched coffee.

“Sandburg,” Jim frowned. “Are you alright?”

“Barriers are down, man,” he whispered softly. “Can you come and get me?” he asked, sounding very young.

“Where are you Blair?” Jim glanced at his captain before reaching for his coat, a frown settling across his face as Blair filled him in on where to go. 

“Okay, I’ll be there in a few minutes. Stay in your office,” Jim warned before turning to his captain. “Gotta go Simon.”

“What’s wrong?”

“The kid lost his barriers. I better get him. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.” Simon nodded as his detective headed out and then smiled at the retreating figure. It seemed to the captain that Jim would be bonded pretty soon if the protective streak he was seeing was any indication.

Jim drove fast heading for Rainier as he mentally reviewed what little he had learned during police academy training about dealing with empaths. An empath with his barriers down was in shock every bit as much as a sentinel in a strong sensory spike. The best thing to do for the empath would be to put him in his sentinel’s hands. The sentinel’s connection would stabilize him and the sentinel’s shields would close around his bonded mate bolstering his shields. Close contact was also imperative since the empath would be using the sentinel as a shield and tapping into his strength. The sentinel would then isolate the empath from outsiders’ emotions so he could get some relief from the bombardment of emotions as he began rebuilding his walls. Finally, the sentinel would make sure the empath was warm and in a place where he could rest so his body could heal. If an empath who was not bonded went into empathic shock then isolating and treating him for shock became critical and if the empath had some kind of relationship with a sentinel than close proximity might help though it would work to a lesser degree than with a bonded sentinel

Getting out of the truck, Jim found his way to Blair’s office and entered quickly glancing around at the clutter as he made his way to the empath. Blair was at his desk, head buried in his folded arms when Jim reached out gently shaking his shoulder. “Chief,” he knelt beside Blair as the grad student raised his head, relief showing in his eyes as he looked at Jim. “What happened? You were fine two hours ago.”

“Barnes. She came here,” Blair hissed through his teeth, obviously still in pain and looking very pale and slightly dazed. “She tried to force me to bond with her.” 

Jim considered this, his eyes roving over Blair as he tried to ignore the anger that suddenly erupted within him. This was his guide and no one else had any right to bond with Blair. Ignoring the implications of that thought and suppressing the anger he knew the empath would be bombarded with, Jim helped Blair to his feet, steadying him as he started to sway. He knew Blair was not fully online yet. He wouldn’t be until he bonded. Fully functional empaths could blast back at a sentinel in some cases sending the attacker into a serious zone but even partially online Blair should have been able to stop her unless he was worn out from keeping others at bay which Blair would be. He had spent the day keeping unbonded sentinels out.

Thinking this over Jim wrapped an arm around Blair pulling him close and feeling the empath relax into the strong hold turning so he could rest his head on Jim’s shoulder. Almost immediately he gave a sigh of relief as the sharp pains began to ease being replaced by a dull steady ache as he tapped into the sentinel’s shields letting them close around him. “I’ll get you home and then you can get some rest.” 

Blair, not moving from the sentinel’s side nodded and Jim reached over grabbing Blair’s computer and putting it in his backpack before heading toward the door, the empath tight in his arms.

Outside with others near, Blair inched even closer to the sentinel, his breathing shallow as Jim moved him to the truck and helped him in, seat belting him before getting into the driver’s seat. Glancing at Blair, Jim considered his next move. He didn’t know where Blair lived or how isolated his place might or might not be and he would need to be around Blair for a few more hours. Deciding his best bet might be to take the empath to his own place Jim headed for home, not even realizing that one of the first things bonded sentinels did was move their guides into their own territory.

Blair, not paying attention to the drive, allowed Jim to get him out of the vehicle before opening his eyes and looking around. “Where are we?” he asked his voice still shaky as Jim moved him in the door of 852 Prospect Avenue.

“My home,” Jim answered easily pushing him into the elevator and up to the third floor apartment, still holding him close. 

“I should go home,” Blair answered weakly.

“Tomorrow morning when you feel better, Chief,” Jim opened the door and guided the young man to the sofa. Blair nodded taking a seat and closing his eyes as Jim turned to get some blankets. 

The minute Jim was more than a few feet away, Blair’s shield failed and the headache spiked up. He gave a soft moan as he tried to handle the nausea that accompanied the sharp pain in his head. Not thinking about what he was doing, he pressed his hands tight against his head trying to deal with the painful spike but before he could do any harm to head or hair, larger hands closed around his pulling them down and easing the guide down so he could stretch out, his head landing on a soft pillow as Jim sat on the edge of the sofa, rubbing the guide’s back. “Sleep Chief,” he whispered softly as he spread a blanket over the empath. 

“Sleep,” Blair agreed clutching Jim’s free arm in a tight hold, needing the contact with the sentinel. 

Jim gently pushed back Blair’s hair and ran a soothing hand across his forehead as he waited for Blair to fall into deep sleep. When his breathing had slowed, his body relaxing so Jim’s arm slipped free, the detective moved away, heading into the kitchen but a soft moan brought him back to the empath’s side. With a gentle smile no one would believe possible on Jim Ellison’s face, the sentinel stroked the riot of curls until Blair settled down again. 

Reaching over to his coffee table, Jim picked up his phone and called the station connecting through to Simon. “Hi Simon,” he leaned forward half an eye on Blair as he talked.

“How’s the kid?”

“He’s asleep on my sofa.” 

“What happened to him?”

Jim sighed. “Another sentinel tried to force a bond and fighting her off after a day of blocking emotions in class destroyed his barriers.” 

“I’ve never heard of a sentinel trying to force a guide,” Simon answered. “Does that happen often?”

“No, never, at least not with a normal sentinel,” Jim answered. “No sentinel would hurt a guide deliberately. There has to be something wrong with her. Could you run a check on her? Her name is Alex Barnes.” Simon began taking down the information on her.

“I’ll call you if I find anything,” Simon hung up.

Jim glanced again at the sleeping guide, wishing he could start dinner but knowing Blair needed him near. Deciding he could cook later, he picked up the remote and turned on the TV, setting the volume so low no one but a sentinel could hear it and then relaxed waiting until Blair’s shields were strong enough for him to move away.

About an hour later the phone rang and Jim picked it up, glancing at Blair thoughtfully and then moving away to speak with Simon. Watching closely, Jim noticed no reaction to the move and went into the kitchen to make some coffee as he spoke with his captain.

“Hi Simon,” Jim began. “Find out anything?”

“Alex Barnes has a prison record, Jim. She was going to be tried for smuggling but copped a plea for a lesser offense. She had problems with other inmates at the prison,” he paused. “She ended up spending her time in solitary where…”

“Her sentinel abilities came online,” Jim finished. “Anything else?”

“Not that we are aware of. How’s the kid?”

“Asleep. He’ll be okay by morning.” Jim considered the problem. “I’ll have a chat with her tomorrow. If she goes near Blair again, I’ll have her charged with assault.” He considered the young man he could see still curled up on the sofa. “You think we should get a restraining order?” he asked pouring coffee and opening the fridge to see what he could make for dinner. Blair would need to eat.

“Sure, if the kid is willing.”

“I’ll talk to him,” Jim agreed. “Thanks, Simon.”

“Enjoy your class tomorrow,” came the response and then a hesitant, “Keep him close, Jim. I don’t trust this sentinel.”

“I will Simon.” 

***

Blair woke to the smell of cooking sauce. He felt warm, not the norm in his drafty warehouse and then as he turned over, face out of the pillow, he realized he wasn’t in his warehouse. Sitting up and looking around with wide panicky eyes, the events of the day started to filter back and he relaxed as he saw Jim cooking in the kitchen. “How do you feel?” Jim asked stirring a pot as he glanced at the young man.

“Better,” Blair answered automatically before realizing it was the truth. Since coming online he hadn’t really felt good except when he was around or had spent extended time with Jim, the guide acknowledging that it was some kind of bonding thing. “Thanks for coming and getting me,” he said softly his face slightly red with embarrassment. Jim smiled and Blair stood looking around with interest. This was a sentinel’s home and natural curiosity had him itching to explore the place. Walking to the balcony he looked out through the glass at the water in the distance. “Beautiful view,” he commented before turning and glancing over the fireplace. The place was clean, neat, and organized, much like the man, but to Blair’s way of thinking it was also a little sterile. There was nothing that showed Jim’s personality and Blair wondered if the sentinel ever considered this a home or if it was merely some place to stop and rest. Blair knew if he had a place like this, warm and comfortable, he would decorate it and give it some personality. “Have you lived here long?” he asked.

“Five years.” 

Blair blinked turning to stare at the sentinel as his mind almost refused the time frame. “Five years,” he thought. “Man, Jim needs someone to show him how to relax in his own space.” He smiled nodding as Jim put some finishing touches on the meal.

“I bought it when I left the army and came back to Cascade. It seemed like a better idea than renting,” Jim brought some food to the table. “Come on Chief, let’s eat, and then you can tell me what happened with Barnes.” 

Blair turned thinking he should go home and realized he didn’t know how long he had been asleep but that thought was eclipsed by the smell of the food and he made his way to the table, momentarily stopping to glance at the clock on the VCR as he passed the TV. He had slept for four hours. It was almost 10:00. “I should get home it’s late,” he said softly as he took a seat and Jim uncorked a bottle of wine pouring two glasses before piling a plate of pasta and putting it in front of the empath.

“I’ll take you home in the morning and you can change before class,” Jim pointed a fork at a small room. “That’s a spare bedroom. It’s got a futon with a decent mattress. You can use it tonight.” Blair considered protesting but then gave up the idea; despite having slept for the past four hours he was too tired to fight with Jim. Instead, he gave the detective a grateful smile before looking at the large portion of spaghetti that Jim dished into his plate. He hadn’t realized how hungry he was until he looked at the pasta and he twirled the pasta around the fork with some gusto before tentatively tasting the food and giving Jim another smile.

“This is good man,” he complimented and Jim nodded, liking the smile and the company.

“When you live alone, you learn to cook,” Jim answered lifting his wine glass.

As they ate, Blair kept up a steady stream of conversation about some of the places he had visited and the foods he sampled. Jim smiled indulgently, listening more to the sound of Blair’s voice than the words as he refilled the wine glasses. He found Blair’s constant talk amusing, but to his own surprise, relaxing and by the end of the meal, Blair looked relaxed as well. Cleaning up, Jim pulled two beers from the fridge and handing one to Blair walked into the living room sitting down.

“Okay Chief, tell me what happened with Barnes.”

Blair’s reaction was immediate as he tensed but he looked over at the sentinel and recapped the events. Jim listened in silence, his face passive, every bit the professional despite the fact that his gut wrenched at the idea of a sentinel trying to force a bond. Bonds were for life and Jim couldn’t imagine Blair permanently tied to Barnes. When Blair finished, Jim considered the events before posing one important question. “Did she touch you?” He could see Blair’s color rise as he looked at the floor.

“She fondled me,” he admitted aware of Jim’s anger despite his blank expression. “She was trying to arouse me, show me what I could have if…” he didn’t finish but shrugged. 

“If she touched you we can charge her with assault,” but Blair shook his head before Jim could finish.

“I don’t want to press charges. I just want to forget about it.”

“Chief!”

“No listen Jim. All the law will see is a beautiful woman touching a man. Only a sentinel or guide would understand. I don’t want to deal with that.” He looked up at the sentinel, cheeks red with embarrassment. “It’s over, let’s just forget about it.”

“She’s not normal Blair. We both know that. No sentinel would do what she did. She’s twisted; she came online in prison and…”

“By tomorrow I’ll be fine.” Blair interrupted Jim, “and she knows I won’t bond with her.”

“At least fill out a complaint and get a restraining order.” Blair considered this and nodded. 

“Okay, but I’m sure this is over.” Unfortunately, Blair couldn’t be any more wrong.

***

The following morning was rainy and damp with a biting chill in the air that seeped right into a person’s bones, nothing new for the Pacific Northwest, and Jim decided a hearty breakfast was called for before taking Blair home and then going to class. The kid needed his strength with unbonded sentinels and Barnes to deal with. He fed Blair until the empath complained he might bust and then followed Blair’s directions to his home, a scowl evident as they neared Blair’s neighborhood. Jim couldn’t believe the desolate area where the young man lived and all of Jim’s instincts as both a cop and a sentinel came to the fore; a guide shouldn’t be living in such a dangerous area. Loosening his jacket so he could easily reach his gun, Jim followed Blair into the warehouse looking around at the makeshift furnishings and stacked crates, his nose scenting the not so fresh air. He was about to comment on the unique ambience and the chilly climate when he heard the snap of a trap and deliberately kept from looking in the direction of the sound. “What was that? Was that a mousetrap?” It sounded large and Jim hated to think what it might have caught.

“Oh, no, no, no. Mice are small and cute but these…” Blair paused with an embarrassed smile and held his hands about a foot and a half apart shaking his head.

“How can you live like this?” Jim asked not meaning just the rats but the whole dark, cold, place.

Blair glanced back at Jim thinking the man either never knew or didn’t recall what the life of a student was like. Jim, as a detective had a decent, steady income but for Blair who used study grants and a small teaching stipend to keep in books, supplies, food, housing and utilities, things were a little different. Money was not in great supply. Sometimes he had to decide on gas for his car or lunch – usually gas won. “Where else am I going to get 10,000 square feet for $850.00 a month?” he answered deciding not to give Jim the whole poor student spiel. 

Jim shook his head, square footage or not, this was no place for his guide. “You had better get dressed, we have a class to attend,” he suggested and watched as Blair grabbed some clothes from the top of a crate and disappeared into the bathroom.

As Jim waited, he wandered around the room glancing at various artifacts and trying to ignore the scurrying sounds from the walls that his sentinel hearing picked up. The artifacts reflected a strange lifestyle and Jim smiled as he looked at various tribal pieces. If nothing else, Blair’s education was interesting. Fingering a strange wooden mask, his sensitive fingers running over smooth polished wood, Jim idly wondered about Blair’s life and who had been around for the empath. The kid had been at Rainier since he was 16 and had traveled to some remote areas with the anthropology department but Jim caught not a hint of a home life. Jim couldn’t say his home life was great, his father had set him against his brother and they were still estranged but he had always had a roof over his head, a meal in his belly and Sally to keep him company. Thinking of Blair as an undersized 16 year old at a large university campus Jim wondered who had taken care of him. The kid might have been some kind of genius, starting college when most kids were just getting their bearings in high school, and studying on scholarship, but with his mother traveling who had Blair turned to when he was sick or hurt or simply lonely.

Hearing the empath turning off the sink, Jim turned as the door opened and Blair emerged, glancing at Jim with a nervous smile. The grad student knew his place wasn’t “the best.” It didn’t conform to most normal ideas of a home; it was drafty and cold from September to June, infested with rodents, and not overly clean. After seeing Jim’s place he could guess what Jim thought of it but it was a roof over his head which was more than some could claim. “Ready man,” he announced grabbing his jacket.

Jim nodded looking at the guide. “I intend to have a talk with Alex Barnes before class so we should get moving,” he agreed and Blair looked up with concern.

“Jim, no, it’s over please.”

“I just want to make sure it is over, Chief,” he answered as reasonably as he could. Blair nodded his understanding despite some misgivings that had him biting his lower lip as the pair set off for the university. Two sentinels fighting over a guide could in theory become deadly, not that he thought Jim would fight over him, after all they didn’t intend to bond but still Blair didn’t like the situation. Deciding he would keep a close eye on his sentinel he followed Jim out the door.

At Rainer, Jim deliberately put a possessive arm around Blair’s shoulders, pulling him close, as he walked the young man into the room, making sure one and all knew Blair was not available for bonding. The sentinels present noted the aggressive stance and possessive arm and understanding their implications moved away from the young guide as Jim put him in a seat at the end of the table and took the seat next to him, his eyes scanning for Alex Barnes. It seemed either she was running late or wasn’t going to show causing Jim to frown with disapproval. He wanted to deal with her and didn’t like the idea of delay; it only increased the tension and possible danger for Blair so the sentinel was somewhat relieved when, just as the class was about to start, the blonde entered and looked around noting Jim and Blair. Jim, his eyes on her, started to rise, but Blair tuned into Jim’s emotional state, grabbed his arm stopping him. “Not now Jim,” he whispered anxiously and the sentinel glanced at the student, hearing and seeing his unease. Giving in with a nod, he turned and glared at the woman before taking his seat and turning as Dr. Strickland took her stand at the front of the room.

By lunch, Jim was chomping at the bit and Blair was fidgeting unable to sit still as worry about the upcoming confrontation plagued him. “Jim,” he tried grabbing at the detective’s arm as he stood and stretched in an easy going manner. It didn’t fool Blair, not for a moment. “Please drop it,” he whispered. 

“Chief, I won’t make a scene. I’m just going to warn her off.” Blair glanced up at the detective, dark blue eyes scanning lighter blue and deciding there was no way of stopping this interaction. 

“Then I’ll come with you.”

“NO.” The answer came out fast and demanding. There was no way Jim was letting that sentinel near Blair.

“Then you are not talking to her. I’m the injured party here.”

“Blair,” Jim tried to reason.

“NO,” Blair demanded just as succinctly as the sentinel had, blue eyes flashing with anger. “We do this together or not at all.”

Jim considered the empath trying to decide whether he should simply handcuff him to the chair until he finished with Barnes, a finger tracing over the metal of his handcuffs as he considered the appeal of that idea, but he knew Blair would pitch a fit and he suspected Blair pitching a fit would be something unpleasant. “Okay,” he gave in, “but you stay behind me,” he demanded and Blair nodded. Sentinels were notoriously protective especially of guides, even unbonded ones and Blair knew he had won a victory in being allowed to go with the detective. He wasn’t going to push his luck any further. He could tell Jim had been hard pressed to give in this much. Rising, he followed Jim into the next room as the sentinel approached the blonde.

Alex was standing beside another sentinel discussing the morning’s lesson when Jim entered. It was obvious her attention was divided because she immediately turned looking at Blair before glaring at Jim, her blue eyes narrowing, as she watched Blair rest a restraining hand on the sentinel’s arm. Giving the sentinel she had been talking with a smile, she excused herself and turned to Jim all too aware that every sentinel in the room would hear the conversation.

“I’ll say this once,” Jim began aggressively. “Stay away from Blair. He will not be your guide; he will not bond with you.”

“That would be his decision not yours,” Barnes answered in a clipped voice, tossing her hair back with a disdainful flick of her head as she stared at the detective coldly, her body language showing she would not back down. “He may choose me.”

“And that is the point, Blair chooses. Try and force a bond again and I’ll charge you with assault and haul your ass back to jail.” 

“So Detective,” she snarled, spitting out the title, “You are going to use your position to blackmail me into giving up a strong bond.”

Jim should have answered that the guide had an equal say in the bonding, and forcing a bond would not be unacceptable and she could be charged with assault. It was the obvious reply, but as he opened his mouth what came out was totally different. “Blair is my guide,” Jim answered his body tensing as his jaw locked, a muscle twitching across his face. He hadn’t actually meant to say that, but somehow he couldn’t bring himself to regret claiming the young man. After all, it was to keep him safe from this sentinel, or so he rationalized. Alex didn’t need to know that they weren’t going to bond, and he’d be damned if he would let the woman near his guide. “Stay away from him.”

“And if I don’t?”

Before Jim could answer, Blair stepped between the two sentinels. He could sense the rising tension and anger and could feel his face turn red as every sentinel in the room focused on Jim and Alex Barnes. Looking up at Jim he placed both hands on the sentinel’s arms. “Please, Jim, there’s no need for this,” he answered, not even aware that he was using a guide’s voice on a sentinel as Jim reached down to run a finger through Blair’s curls, his posture relaxing a little though it was obvious he was still poised to strike. Glancing over his shoulder at the blonde sentinel Blair added, “I’ve made my choice. Jim is my sentinel,” he announced, his voice sounding more aggressive than he had planned or wanted in this situation, but then guides were just as possessive of their sentinels as sentinels were of their guides.

Alex looked at the pair and shrugged. “Your loss guide,” she spit out making the title sound derogatory before she turned walking away. Blair didn’t bother acknowledging the slur but tightened his hold on Jim. “Let’s get some food man. I’m hungry,” he tried to distract the detective. 

Jim nodded looking down at Blair. “I would say that went well Chief.” Blair gave Jim a look of frustration his face still red with embarrassment but he smiled at the twinkle in the sentinel’s eyes as Jim propelled him toward the food deliberately putting himself between Blair and Alex. 

“Damn over protective sentinels,” the empath muttered but he couldn’t help the sense of relief he felt. Jim, confronting Barnes, made him feel safe, protected even.

***

For the next two and half days Jim made a point of keeping Blair close as they finished the class on sentinels and guides. Among other things they were shown how to support each other through spikes, zones, and overloads. The empaths were shown how to ground the sentinel’s senses, the sentinels how to create mental shields for the guide’s empathy. And the class had a detailed discussion on bonding. Bonding was a charged topic since bonds could be sexual or not and could involve same sex partners or not. The information was given in a clinical manner and after a degree of awkwardness questions were asked and answered about the different ways sentinels and guides could bond. Uncomfortable through the entire discussion Jim and Blair wondered about bonding each speculating on what type of bond they would share were they to bond. 

Glancing at his sentinel, Blair considered Jim’s large muscular frame thoughtfully. “Jim doesn’t want to bond,” he told himself silently, “and even if he did, a big macho man like Jim wouldn’t want a sexual bond. He’d be straight.” Blair thought he should be relieved by those facts; he had upon occasion been with men before but never with a man as aggressive as Jim. Blair had always been the aggressor in his encounters with other men and he wasn’t as sure of his role if he were to have a relationship with Jim though visions of Jim writhing beneath him made Blair squirm as his pants tightened. And Jim, glancing at Blair wondered how the younger man might feel in his arms but he said nothing, remembering the guide didn’t want to bond and probably had a dozen co-ed girlfriends. So the class ended with neither saying anything about bonding, sexual or otherwise.

***

After four days of picking up Blair and going to the Institute’s Sentinel/Guide classes Jim felt odd not having Blair with him as he headed for the station the next morning. He had grown used to the empath and not having him around made the sentinel jumpy. His senses didn’t seem to be focusing as clearly as they had for the last four days and the detective guessed that maybe he had grown used to having Blair’s presence soothe his senses.

Blair had promised the detective he would meet Jim at the station at 10:00 but Jim felt as if some part of him were missing without the young man at his side as he drove in and his nose twitched seeking a scent that had been in his truck for four days. Deciding to ignore the feeling, Jim marched into Major Crimes and grabbed a cup of coffee, waving to Simon as he moved to his desk to check his messages. Seeing the pile which included messages from the army, navy, marines, FBI, secret service and other law enforcement organizations he gave a dismal sigh before taking his seat as Simon waved back before coming over to stare at his sentinel detective. “How was the class?” 

“So much fun,” Jim glared at his captain for making him go before focusing on the pile of mail.

“Any more problems with the kid?” Simon asked glancing around, looking for Blair.

“Nope,” Jim looked up but his eyes betrayed some misgivings and Simon guessed he was still suspicious of the other sentinel. “He’ll be in around ten. He needed to stop at the university.”

Simon nodded. “How’s the bonding thing coming along?” he asked uncertainly as his voice dropped to a whisper. He wasn’t entirely sure what kind of “thing” the bonding would be but he hoped his detective was taking care of it.

Jim gave a sigh as he glanced at his captain and stood. “Simon, maybe we should discuss this in your office.” 

Jim noted the anxiety that flickered across his captain’s face as Simon glanced at his detective. “I’m not going to like this, am I,” he asked as he led Jim into the office, closing the door and taking a seat before letting his eyes sweep over the sentinel. “What’s the problem, Jim?”

Jim glanced at Simon and then shrugged taking a seat and deciding to come clean. “Blair didn’t want to bond anymore than I did and so we hatched a plot to keep from bonding. We said we would ride along and see if things worked out but we never planned to bond. We were going to see if there was some way to deal with our senses without it.”

Simon stood walking around his desk, arms crossed as he scowled at his detective. “And you just thought you could get away without bonding? Never mind the fact that any sentinel or guide with a level three or higher rating has needed to bond.” Simon’s voice was getting louder as he stood over the sentinel.

Jim shrugged, “It doesn’t matter Simon. I’ve changed my mind. After four days of Blair’s constant presence, I guess I want to bond with him. It’s like his presence does something to my senses. They don’t spike when I’m with him. They’re sharper, more controlled, I don’t have headaches.”

“Good.” Simon watched Jim shake his head.

“Not good, Blair doesn’t want to.”

“Did he say that?”

“No, but that was our plan.”

“You changed your mind, maybe he did too?” Simon answered hopefully. “Maybe he’s going through the same thing you are.”

“I don’t know.” 

“Jim, you have to talk to him.” Simon reached over and placed a supportive hand on the sentinel’s tense shoulder. “You need a guide.” Jim reluctantly nodded his agreement. He had fought the idea but last night he had dreamt about sex with Blair and realized he wanted a bond, a sexual bond. He woke aroused and jerked off thinking about the young man. But what if Blair didn’t want a bond, or worse wanted a bond but not a sexual one. Jim didn’t like to contemplate the idea of working closely with the empath for the rest of his life and not being able to fulfill his own needs. It would be ongoing torture. Gritting his teeth and deciding he would simply learn to live it with it, Jim nodded.

“I’ll talk to him when he gets here,” Jim rose and turned for the door but turned back and looked at Simon seeing the friend and not the police captain. “What happens if he doesn’t want to bond?”

“Then you find someone who does, but Jim, he’s going to need to bond and that’s your greatest advantage. He’s a level five guide. He can’t last without a sentinel and you’re a sentinel and one he is comfortable with.” Jim nodded agreement not telling the captain exactly what he did want from Blair but Simon could tell Jim wasn’t happy as he made his way to his desk awaiting the guide’s arrival.

When Blair hadn’t turned up or called by noon, Jim began to worry and tried calling both his home and the university without success. Simon, seeing the concern, suggested that maybe the kid got sidetracked but Jim shook his head no, knowing Blair would call. When one o’clock rolled around still with no word from Blair, Jim headed over to the university. Parking near Hargrove Hall he looked around at the quiet university life, the students strolling by or rushing to class as he got out and started for Blair’s office. If the kid was there, Jim would give him a lecture about responsibility he would never forget but the detective already knew enough about the teaching assistant to know Blair wouldn’t be there. He might be going through the motions but he was sure the guide was in trouble, again.

Making his way down to the basement, Jim noted how few people he met, how isolated the area was and how little security was around as he reached Blair’s door. It was locked but little more than jiggling the lock opened it and Jim walked in his nostrils flaring as he frowned. Blair’s backpack which he never left behind was there sitting beside his chair but it was Jim’s nostrils and his heightened sense of smell that took center stage. He could smell chloroform. There was just a hint of it but it was there. 

“Chloroform,” Jim thought again sniffing the air. “Barnes, it has to be.” Reaching in his pocket the detective pulled out his cell phone and called for the sentinel’s address, jotting it down before requesting a transfer through to Simon and looking around the office for evidence as he awaited the connection.

“Simon,” he greeted as soon as heard the phone picked up. “Blair’s been abducted. I can smell traces of chloroform. It has to be Barnes.”

“There were other sentinels their Jim,” the captain disliked jumping to conclusions even though he didn’t doubt his detective was right.

“Yeah, but I can only think of one who tried to force a bond,” Jim countered. “But you can send someone to check the other sentinels. I’m going to check Barnes.” Jim growled the last words. 

Simon took a sharp breath remembering what he had read about sentinels being blessed protectors when it came to guides and just how dangerous it was to threaten a guide. Realizing this could turn deadly very fast Simon decided he would join his detective. “I’ll send the CSU over just in case and get a warrant for Barnes and meet you by her place. Don’t do anything until I get there with the warrant. I don’t want her getting off,” Simon ordered before hanging up the phone and heading out yelling at Rhonda to get him a warrant and Barnes’ address.

***

Blair came slowly to consciousness his head hurting and his stomach lurching as he sat up in a bed, fear making his breathing shallow as he noticed his hands were bound together with a silk scarf. As his vision cleared he glanced around at the surroundings and noticed Barnes was watching him from a seat across the room.

“Hello, Blair,” she whispered softly standing and moving toward the bed with the stealth of a predator watching its prey. “I was waiting for you to wake up.” She drew closer with a smile.

Blair glared at her angrily. “I’m not bonding with you,” he announced but his voice shook, partially from the effect of being drugged but he knew partially from fear.

“I’m not giving you a choice,” Alex answered raising a shapely eyebrow. “Carl,” she called out and Blair watched as another man entered the room and came to stand beside her, eyeing Blair

“This is Blair, Carl,” she indicated the pale young man on the bed. “I wanted to introduce you since we are all three going to be close friends.” Blair shuddered, feeling the lust coming off both Alex and the man who entered the room, as Carl turned with an equally predatory smile glancing over with undisguised hunger. Blair watched as she walked over to a dresser and held up a small vial of liquid, shaking it as she glanced back at Blair, who inched back on the bed until his back rested against the brass headboard, his hands struggling with the silk scarf that bound them, the skin bruising badly as he tried unsuccessfully to free himself. “I can’t get near him,” Alex admitted turning to Carl. “He can and I’m sure will zone me if I try, so you have to give him this.”

Carl smiled. “And we both get him?” he asked and received a nod as he walked over and took the small tube of liquid, his other hand going up to caress the sentinel’s face. “As long as you understand I fuck him but he doesn’t fuck me.” He let his hand drop as he looked at the beautiful woman. “I’ve heard empaths make incredible lovers.”

“No doubt, they are so receptive to others’ needs. And we will both have him, just as we agreed,” Alex answered, her fingers running over the vial and Carl’s hand before turning back to Blair who was looking around in panic for something to help him escape. 

“It’s rohypnol,” Alex told the guide, glancing over at Blair’s white face, aware that he was fast approaching a panic attack as he looked back at her. “Date rape drug,” she clarified. “It will make you, receptive.” She nodded to Carl who walked towards the young man. “In a little while you will be a bonded guide.”

“NO,” Blair shook his head his hair flying about. “Please,” he inched away from Carl and as soon as the man neared the bed, turned jumping off the other side and trying to run but Alex was ready for the escape attempt and pushed the guide back giving Carl a chance to grab his hair, yanking him back onto the bed.

Blair cried out as his head was yanked backwards and he fell onto the bed, Carl’s body landing on top of him, pinning Blair as Carl opened the small vial. Seeing the vial, Blair shut his mouth trying to turn his head away but the older man reached down squeezing the guide’s nostrils closed with his left hand and waited. Eventually Blair would need to open his mouth to breathe.

Thrashing, unable to move, Blair finally gasped for breath and in that moment Carl poured the liquid into the empath’s mouth, tossing the vial aside as the fingers of his right hand closed on Blair’s jaw forcing his mouth shut so he couldn’t spit out the liquid. Another minute of squeezing Blair’s nostrils and he released his hold on the empath’s jaw so Blair could breathe, knowing the young man would be forced to swallow the liquid in an attempt to get air into his lungs. Sitting up he turned to Alex and nodded as tears slid down the guide’s face, his body going still.

“It will take about a half an hour for the drug to take full effect,” she stated, glancing at the clock and sitting down, as Carl ran a possessive hand over the young man, his fingers playing with the soft curls before moving to slide up his shirt, feeling the chest hair and nipples and ignoring how the guide trembled at the touch. He smiled as he touched the nipple ring before moving his hand lower reaching for Blair’s pants. “I get him first, Carl and I can’t share him the first time,” Alex warned stopping him. “I need the bond for my senses.” Carl nodded looking down at Blair, the guide was coughing from the rohypnol being forced down his throat and weakly shaking his head in denial of what was happening.

Looking over the guide, Carl ran a hand between Blair’s legs, kneading and feeling the warm flesh beneath the pants before rising and walking over to Alex. “How long will you need with the guide alone?” Alex looked over at the bed. The drug was already starting to work. Blair was still fighting but her senses trained on Blair could tell his body was relaxing. 

“I’ll need an hour than you can have a turn.”

Carl nodded heading for the door. “An hour,” he agreed. “I’ll wait downstairs.” 

“Good,” Alex answered as Carl slipped out the door. She would wait ten more minutes, just to make sure the guide wasn’t capable of zoning her and then she would bond with him. Taking a deep breath, she began to focus her senses on Blair backing one sense with another to keep from zoning as she let the rest of the environment slip away. First she focused hearing, sight, and smell; letting the guide’s presence eclipse everything else. In ten minutes she would add touch and taste and then she would complete the bond.

Still on the bed, Blair could feel his head spinning and he closed his eyes against the sudden change in lighting that seemed to tint everything blue. Slowly, opening his eyes again, he looked around and found himself in a jungle, tall trees surrounding him, flies and mosquitoes buzzing around him, the humidity and heat soaking into him. The logical part of his mind told him he was still in the bedroom, he had to be, but he couldn’t deny that looking around he seemed to be in a jungle. Next surprise, looking down he realized he had paws and fur; he was a gray wolf! And yet this didn’t seem as strange as it should. Standing on all fours, still a little dizzy from the drugs, he glanced around at the trees and flora and then stopped seeing another animal coming towards him. Instinctively, he knew to back away from the creature, a spotted jaguar but he realized he had no way of out maneuvering the large spotted cat that slowly but deliberately made its way towards him. And then, before he could figure what to do next, how to get away, a large black jaguar jumped in front of him snarling at the approaching cat. Blair tried to understand what was happening as the jaguar moved back and forth blocking the approaching creature, snapping at it, but he didn’t really have a clue beyond the immediate and obvious fact that the black jaguar was protecting him. 

***

Jim raced to the address he had been given for Alex’s home knowing if Simon wasn’t there, he was going in with or without a warrant. Simon, because he wasn’t a sentinel or guide, didn’t understand just how devastating a forced bond would be; it would be both physical and mental rape. The very act of bonding opened the sentinel and guide to each other’s deepest desires and emotions and though a normal sentinel would seek a caring bond full of acceptance, he or she would never dig into a guide’s shields, violating him or her in order to experience and manipulate the guide’s psyche. But Jim was sure Alex would do just that. No guide should endure that just as no sentinel should endure it from a guide. It was why bonding was a taboo subject and never monitored or controlled by others. It was too intimate an act with or without sexual contact. The guide and sentinel became one soul and Jim doubted Blair would survive long with Alex as the other half of his soul. The sentinel and guide had to be compatible or one (or both) would wither and fall into madness or death and guides and sentinels knew that instinctively. They recognized potential partners almost immediately. In any case, Blair was Jim’s guide and he’d be damned if he would let another sentinel take the young man.

Arriving at the home, he glanced around his eyesight focusing and tunneling so that he noticed a car in the distance and smiled. Simon wasn’t using a siren, he didn’t want to alert the occupants of the house but he was speeding with lights on. Glancing back at the house, Jim listened intently for his guide and though he didn’t hear Blair he heard Alex say, “It’s rohypnol, date rape drug. It will make you, receptive. In a few minutes, you will be a bonded guide.”

Jim gave a sigh of relief as he realized no bond had been created yet, but anger began to build as he considered what Alex and her accomplice were doing to his guide. Knowing for the moment Blair was unharmed, and aware that Alex had an accomplice, Jim decided to wait for Simon and back up, and paced back and forth like a caged jaguar as he impatiently awaited his captain’s arrival.

Minutes later he watched as Simon pulled up, not bothering to park the car and jumped out, two patrol cars pulling up behind him as he hurried over to Jim. Simon was relieved to see Jim waiting for him, he hadn’t actually expected his detective to follow the rules and wait for the warrant but figured since sentinels and guides were involved he could claim that the sentinel had heard the guide - an argument for probable cause. Stepping up to the sentinel he looked up at the house. “Is he in there?”

Jim nodded striding forward. “Yeah, and we are in time. There are two in the house, Barnes and some man named Carl,” the detective knocked on the door as two patrolmen moved around to the back and two took up positions behind Simon and Jim. 

The door opened a minute later and Carl looked out at the detectives, Simon waving the warrant. “Good afternoon, I am Captain Simon Banks and this is Detective James Ellison we have a warrant to search the premises.”

“Search the house?” Carl questioned his glance going automatically to the stairs. Simon followed his glance but Jim was already moving in that very direction. Calling to the patrolmen to hold the man at the door, Simon followed Jim as he raced up the stairs and opened a bedroom door, stopping only a moment in the doorway to assess the scene. On the bed, Blair was still, except for a slight tremor that continuously ran through him as his shields began to fail. He had his eyes closed trying to shut out what was happening but jerked as Alex reached out to cup the guide’s face and leaned down her lips inches from his. Jim immediately realized her senses were completely trained on Blair and she hadn’t heard him enter. Walking forward, trying to keep a murderous rage under control, Jim grabbed her by the collar of her blouse, violently yanking her backwards away from his guide and throwing her down on the floor as he snarled down at her.

Startled, coming out of an almost trance like bonding zone at the sudden assault, she snarled back as she looked up at the interruption and glared at Ellison, her own look murderous. “He is my guide,” Jim whispered in a voice that set Simon’s nerves on edge. This was not Jim Ellison, detective, this was Jim Ellison, covert ranger and trained killer. 

Alex got to her feet as Simon moved closer, ready to jump in if things turned deadly as Ellison reached for his cuffs. “You are under arrest,” he intoned relying on procedure to keep him under control, “for kidnapping and sexual assault.”

“You think because you are a level 5 sentinel you should have him,” Alex spit out taking a step back as Jim reached for her. At the same time, she reached behind her for a small, sharp knife she had placed on the night table with the idea of removing Blair’s clothes. Grabbing it in a tightly closed fist she spun towards the guide her eyes wild, her face distorted in fury. “If I can’t have him no one will,” she snarled and lifted her arm high above her head readying the knife for a plunge down. To Jim, it seemed as though the moment froze in time as he realized she would kill the semi conscious, defenseless empath. And in that same moment Jim reacted. Seeing his guide about to be hurt the detective dove for the young man, placing his own body over Blair’s covering the guide with his larger frame, his back exposed to the approaching blade as Alex’s hand swept downwards and a shot rang out. The momentum from the shot stopped the woman’s forward motion a hair’s breath from Jim’s back and Alex staggered back looking down in shock, noticing splotches of red spreading quickly across her once pristine white blouse. Looking back up, her eyes dilating, she gave a small whimper as she stared at Simon, the police captain stood holding his own gun pointed at the woman.

Hearing the shot and seeing her stepping back, Jim seized the opportunity knocking the knife from trembling, suddenly strength less fingers, as Simon eased the woman to the floor. “Call 911,” he ordered looking at Jim as Alex blinked up in shock. Nodding, Jim pulled out his cell phone his eyes on his guide as he called for medical assistance but even as he called the detective knew it was a useless effort. Alex’s breathing was already slowing down. It was only minutes later that Simon stood beside his lead detective shaking his head. It wasn’t often he had needed to use his revolver; it was a part of the job he despised. Straightening with a dismal sigh he glanced at the guide. 

“How is he?” he asked indicating Blair as Jim moved over and worked on untying the silk from the young man’s hands, scowling at the bruises and scratches where Blair tried to get free.

“Drugged, they gave him rohypnol,” Jim answered reaching over and shaking Blair until he reacted before pulling him up and onto his feet. Jim didn’t want his guide in the room with Alex’s corpse. He was sure the empath would blame himself for her death. Slowly, large blue eyes opened and blinked up at Jim in confusion as his unsteady body almost collapsed against the sentinel’s. “Hey, Blair,” he whispered softly tightening his hold. “Everything is going to be fine. I’ve got you, Chief.” 

“Jim?” came the slurred response and the detective nodded as Blair shut his eyes, burrowing into the hold so Jim’s shields could close around him blocking out everything else. “The black jaguar kept her away till you could come. I knew you would,” he whispered into the sentinel’s shoulder and Jim, not understanding but not really worried that he didn’t, nodded again a hand gently rubbing the empath’s back as he held the smaller body against him.

Simon watching his detective couldn’t believe just how gentle Jim was as he held the unsteady guide in his arms. This was not the hard nosed Ellison of moments ago who had been ready to kill Barnes but than this was the detective’s guide. “When the medics get here we can send him to the hospital,” Simon whispered softly. Jim thought about it and shook his head no.

“I’ll take him home. He’s an extremely sensitive empath. The last thing he needs is to be around a lot of people while high on some date rape drug with his shields down.” Simon thought about this and nodded seeing the logic.

“I guess you know best. You’re his sentinel,” he shrugged. 

“Yeah,” Ellison smiled at the thought. “I guess I am.”

***

Blair woke the next day in Jim’s spare room and though he recognized the room he frowned having no memory of how he had gotten there. Sitting up he groaned at the pain in his head as Jim peeked in the room, his senses carefully going over and cataloging the guide’s condition. Deciding the kid would survive, Jim smiled. “Hey Chief, are you okay?” 

Blair glanced up at Jim and then closed his eyes swallowing down nausea. “What happened?” he asked in a small voice.

Jim considered the guide momentarily as the side effects of rohypnol went through his head; loss of memory was a fairly common side effect. “Why don’t you get showered and dressed and I’ll give you a run down over breakfast. I left you some sweats. They may be a little too large but they’ll do until I get you to the warehouse.” Blair nodded, rising and noticing he was stripped to his boxers and tee shirt before heading for the bathroom, his eyes only half open as he stumbled forward.

More alert after his first cup of coffee, Blair watched Jim as the sentinel moved about making breakfast before putting some food down before him and he tentatively reached for toast, not sure his stomach could handle much more. Taking a bite, he watched as Jim took a seat. “What do you remember?”

Blair frowned, concentrating. He couldn’t remember anything after being in his office but then something about his office came back. Suddenly, his eyes wide with fear, he looked up at Jim’s concerned face, his own showing panic. “Alex came in, she…she had someone with her. He drugged me. I could feel their combined…they both wanted…oh no, they didn’t...” Blair was babbling, jumping up in panic, his face turning white as the chair fell backwards with a crash, the guide gasping for breath as he began to hyperventilate, his hands flying as the panic eclipsed everything else, and then Jim grabbed him pulling Blair into his arms, holding tight.

“Shhh, it’s all right. Nothing happened to you.” Jim ran his hands up and down the guide’s trembling back repeating the words over and over as he tried to stem the rising panic. Latching onto Jim, his hold tight, fingers clutching at the detective’s shirt, Blair’s empathy automatically sought out the protection of his sentinel’s emotional state letting it encircle him. Slowly, Jim’s words seeped in and his breathing eased, his body leaning into Jim’s. “I got to you before they could do anything, Chief. You’re fine.” It was another minute before the trembling eased and Jim reluctantly let Blair go and got his guide back into a seat, a hand still rubbing up and down the empath’s back.

“What happened?” Blair asked quietly, embarrassed by the scene he had just made.

“When you didn’t turn up, I went looking for you. I could smell the traces of chloroform and figured Alex had you. She gave you a date rape drug, that’s why you don’t remember much. It causes memory loss but I got there before she could bond and before her accomplice could touch you.” Jim smiled and tousled the curly hair affectionately before resuming his own seat at the table.

Blair looked into his coffee cup, his hands circling it to keep them from trembling. “Tell me the rest Jim; I know there has to be more.”

Reluctantly, Jim nodded. He really didn’t want to go into this with Blair this upset but figured it was better Blair hear the story from him than someone else. “When she realized we were going to stop her, something inside of her snapped and she attacked. She died in the fight. Her accomplice Carl Hettinger is in custody.”

“Y..you k..killed her?” the words were whispered, Blair’s eyes widening in shock.

“No, actually Simon did.” Jim leaned forward letting a hand touch the guide’s arm. He realized he had been doing that a lot and suspected it was a bonding thing. He couldn’t seem to get enough of Blair. “We’ll need to go down to the station and make a statement after breakfast.”

Blair nodded. “I don’t really remember much.”

“You’ll tell them just what you do remember.” Blair nodded.

“Thanks,” the guide looked up “for everything.”

***

It was a much more subdued Blair, still slightly pale and missing his usual energetic bounce and enthusiasm who met Simon when they entered the station two hours later after a stop at Rainier to get Blair’s car and then a stop at the warehouse so the guide could drop off his car and get dressed in his own clothes. Nodding to Rafe, the Captain and Jim watched as the other detective led Blair to an interrogation room to get his statement. Jim watched him go aware that he didn’t like watching the guide head off with another detective, before following Simon into his office. Pouring himself a cup of coffee, the captain glanced at his detective and then poured another cup handing it over. Taking a seat behind his desk he considered Jim thoughtfully. “Have you spoken to him yet?” Jim didn’t need to be told what the question referred to, bonding was very much on the sentinel’s mind, but he shook his head.

“Hasn’t been time and with everything that happened…” he let his voice trail off as he grimaced thinking about how close he had come to losing the guide.

Simon nodded his understanding, pushing down his own impatience, more than anything he wanted a sentinel guide team in Major Crimes, every police department dreamed of having them. Hell, homicide had a level 3B sentinel and guide and had been the envy of all the station. And more importantly than a Major Crimes sentinel guide team, he wanted Jim safe and happy. “When are you going to talk to him?” He watched Jim’s jaw set.

“Today,” Jim answered half fearful, half hopeful. “But Simon, I don’t know…” he shrugged.

“Listen, Jim. After we get his statement why don’t you take the kid and leave for the day. God knows you could both use a day. It will give you a chance to unwind and talk.” Jim smiled and nodded.

“I’d better start my paperwork then,” he got up and left heading to his desk and wondering how Blair was doing with Rafe.

In interrogation room 3, Blair was watching the Major Crimes detective and wishing it was Jim taking his statement. He understood that Rafe, as an outside party, needed to do the interview, but it still left him feeling uncomfortable as he admitted to almost being a rape victim and far more than that, though someone who wasn’t familiar with sentinel guide bonding wouldn’t understand the implications. His hands around a cup of coffee to keep them from trembling, Blair gave his statement being very concise and embellishing nothing, his eyes glued to the cup. There was little he could actually say beyond the initial meeting in his office where a man he didn’t know walked in, smiled and grabbed him, pushing a foul smelling cloth over his face as Alex Barnes entered with a cruel smile. He stated, with a tape recorder running, exactly what had happened or at least what he had remembered and then looked at the detective apologetically saying there was nothing else he could add. Rafe took notes, nodding sympathetically and then after asking just a few clarifying questions disappeared for a little while coming back to give Blair a written statement to sign. The empath, calmer now that this was over, read through the statement, signed it and returned it to Rafe with a small smile.

The detective smiled back glancing over the younger man. Leaning back in the seat, pushing aside the signed form so Blair would understand he was closing the topic, he asked, “So are you and Jim going to bond?” The detective suspected this was probably a rude question but his smile was kind and Blair smiled back.

“We’re looking into it,” he answered as he considered what he wanted and what he was sure Jim did not want.

“Uhm, if you do bond, do you still see other people?” Rafe asked a little nervously and Blair could feel the shift in the man, desire and nervousness rising as his focus changed from professional to personal. 

Blair cleared his throat uncomfortable with the question. “It depends on the kind of bond.” He looked at the detective. “But if we do bond, it wouldn’t be a good idea to…to have a relationship with a sentinel’s colleague.”

“Why not? It’s not like Jim’s going to want to have sex with you even if you do bond. The man is a straight arrow.” Blair considered the statement color rising in his cheeks as he tried to ignore the fact that sex was just what he wanted and what he might never have. He had tried to fight being a guide and needing to bond but the idea of bonding with Jim had snuck up on him in the last few days and was invading his dreams. He finally accepted he needed to bond, with Jim, and if what Rafe said was true the bond would be torturous, always wanting, never having. Blair glanced at the detective realizing he was waiting for an answer.

“It’s a bad practice to have a relationship with someone who works closely with my sentinel,” Blair answered not realizing he was naming Jim as his. “It can cause trouble. Most sentinels and guides who only share working relationships keep their acquaintances at a distance.” He glanced at Rafe seeing his disappointed look. “Sorry.”

“Hey, at least I know, and you know the old saying nothing ventured,” he shrugged. “But should you ever change your mind…” Blair nodded as Rafe rose. “Come on, we’re done here.”

“Thanks,” Blair answered indicating the statement, “for all your help.” He followed Rafe back to the bullpen.

Jim looked up with a smile as Rafe led Blair into the room and the guide immediately moved to the sentinel’s desk, his own face lighting up at the sentinel’s welcoming. “Hey Chief, we can get out of here as soon as I finish the paperwork.” He glanced at the young man with a suspiciously casual air. “You any good with typing?”

“Of course I am,” the guide answered already recognizing the detective’s plotting as Jim slid over to give the young man room in front of the computer and handed him the paperwork. “But I don’t know that this is a good precedent to set, Man,” he answered playfully as he took a seat putting on his glasses. “I don’t intend to be your personal secretary, Jim.”

“Yeah, well we have a few things to discuss and the sooner the typing is done, the sooner we can leave. I’ll tell you what, I’ll take you out for lunch, my treat, if you can get this done in the next 20 minutes.”

“Not fast food,” Blair countered suspecting that the detective ate far more than his share of the greasy, artery clogging stuff. 

“Not fast food,” Jim agreed giving up on his personal favorite, Wonderburger.

“You’re on,” Blair settled his glasses on his nose and glanced at the papers. “But what do we have to discuss?” he asked nervously. He could feel the sentinel’s uncertainty, though it never occurred to him that he was completely tuned into Jim.

“Later chief, at the restaurant.” Blair nodded absentmindedly and focused on the work.

***

Forgoing Wonderburger with a regrettable sigh, Jim decided on the next best thing, a steakhouse. Pulling up in front of the restaurant, he led his guide in and ordered a beer and a large medium rare steak with all the trimmings. Though it was not the kind of food Blair normally ate, he ordered the same and the two talked about the day and Blair’s written statement to the police until the food was in front of them.

Taking a large swallow of his beer, Jim glanced over at his guide, thinking it might not be a good time to bring up bonding but some voice in his head told him that he needed to do this. His senses were out of control when he wasn’t with the empath and he finally admitted he needed a guide, but if Blair wasn’t amenable, he would have to find another guide. Something inside of the sentinel flared up in physical pain at the idea, his mind telling him it would kill him not to have Blair, but he ignored it. He could choose a guide but if the guide didn’t agree than the match wasn’t right and the sentinel would have to find another guide. Not that Jim could imagine being with anyone but Blair. “Ah, Chief,” he played with his cutlery as he considered what he was going to say. “I guess I need to talk to you about some things.” He glanced up nervously at the guide who frowned in puzzlement picking up his sentinel’s insecurity. Jim was not the insecure type. “Yeah,” he continued, “I think we need to talk about the bonding thing.”

Sapphire blue eyes suddenly focused on the plate in front of him as though it was fascinating as Blair nodded. “Sure Jim what do you want to talk about,” he asked as his mind reeled thinking, “Here it comes, somehow he’s figured I want to bond and he doesn’t.” Something in Blair flared with pain. He needed this sentinel to control his empathy and he had to admit he didn’t want any other.

“Blair,” he waited until the guide reluctantly looked up. “I guess I’m more of a sentinel than I realized. I want to bond but if you don’t, I’ll look elsewhere.”

Blair’s blank expression made Jim’s stomach drop and he forced himself to swallow down the food that suddenly wanted to come back up. He had said he would look elsewhere but he couldn’t even conceive of the idea. 

“You want to bond,” Blair repeated trying to process the information. He blinked in surprise. This was not what he expected to hear and his heart accelerated noticeably as he realized the implications of what he heard.

Jim could hear the guide’s heart accelerate and shook his head. Feeling a lurch in his stomach that made him wonder how he would choose another guide he looked over at the young man. “I guess you still don’t and I should go…”

“JIM,” the guide nearly yelled and, as heads turned toward the table, he lowered his voice turning red. “I want to bond. I didn’t think you wanted to.”

Jim smiled. “I think I changed my mind about it after one day with you.”

“I changed my mind after one day with you,” Blair admitted and both men laughed, their burdens seeming to lighten noticeably as they realized they were in agreement. “I wonder,” he glanced at Jim, “if we’ve already started bonding and didn’t realize it. The instructor did say it happens.” Jim considered Blair’s idea.

“Actually, it wouldn’t surprise me. I’ve been tracking you with my senses for days.”

“And I’ve been more than a little aware of your emotions and have been tapping into your shields,” Blair admitted with a blush. Neither man seemed to want to go any further with the conversation, both wanting a sexual a bond but unwilling to state that desire, so they finished their dinners with lighter feelings and companionable small talk and then headed off to Jim’s loft to discuss all the implications of bonding.

***

Jim pulled up in front of the loft and looked up at the darkened window, his palms sweaty with nervousness. It was one thing to sit in a crowded restaurant and discuss bonding theoretically, but coming to the loft with his guide and preparing for bonding was a different matter entirely. A quick sensory scan of Blair told Jim the young man was just as nervous and he smiled feeling some relief at the idea that he wasn’t the only one facing this situation with a little anxiety. “Ready, chief?” he asked and Blair nodded glancing over at Jim, a quick nervous smile lighting his face.

Stepping out of the car, Jim took a deep steadying breath before heading into the building, Blair following right behind. The two soon made their way up to the loft and Jim opened the door watching as Blair walked in. Closing and locking the door, Jim went to the refrigerator and pulled out two beers, handing one to Blair as the guide took a seat at the table, Jim following and sitting across from him. “Thanks,” he put the drink down in front of him and glanced at the sentinel. “I guess there are a few things we need to discuss before.” He didn’t finish the statement but waved a hand at Jim who waited. 

“If we do this Jim, it’s for life so we should be sure it’s what we want.” Blair looked over at Jim “I mean once a bond is settled, breaking it can be lethal.” Jim nodded still saying nothing and Blair felt like reaching across and tearing words from the detective’s throat. The idea of it almost made him laugh and lightened his mood just a little. “For one thing, I’m going for my doctorate and need to finish school.”

“I’ve been thinking about that, Chief. As a bonded guide, if you work with your sentinel, you get paid. As soon as you finish your doctorate you could come on board as a police consultant and my partner.” Blair considered this and nodded. “How close are you to finishing?”

“Maybe six months,” Blair answered. “I’m writing the dissertation now.”

“Okay,” Jim considered. “You’re traveling with me to get info anyway. So you are working unofficially as my partner and once you finish you can move into a full time position, with pay.” Blair considered this but Jim could tell something was troubling the younger man. “Chief?” he asked softly.

“Jim, as an anthropologist I’m fascinated by urban interactions. I could become a consultant and study these things but there might be times when I need to be away from police work.”

“So you take a leave. If necessary I take one too and go with you.” 

Blair blinked. “Could it be just that easy?” he asked himself and then answered, “Yes. The police department is desperate for sentinel guide pairs. They might not be so willing to offer time off for a level 2 or 3 pair but for a level 5 pair. Hell, Jim and I could write our own ticket if we wanted to go somewhere else.” But Blair knew a sentinel was a guardian and wouldn’t want a job as say an anthropologist. If he bonded with Jim he was staying in Cascade but he could study urban cultures here. Smiling he nodded and leaned back picking up the beer. “So what else do we need to discuss?” he asked and Jim looked down, his beer suddenly very interesting.

“We’d have to talk about the kind of bond,” Jim whispered so low Blair didn’t hear him.

“What?” the empath leaned forward. “I’m not a sentinel Jim, you have to speak up,” he answered lightly but then frowned. His sentinel seemed uneasy and Blair wondered if Jim was having second thoughts about bonding as he opened his senses and scanned the man picking up a definite unease in the man’s emotional state.

Jim cleared his throat his cheeks coloring. “We have to discuss the kind of bond.”

“Kind of bond,” Blair repeated staring at Jim. And then as he realized what Jim was saying he blushed, his eyes dropping down to find his own beer bottle fascinating. “I…ah…I didn’t think you’d want ah…that is…” he stammered.

Jim took a breath. “I’ve never been attracted to a man, Blair.” He watched closely, sentinel sight zeroing in as Blair bit his lower lip trying to hide his disappointment and smiled as he realized the implications, “until I met you.”

Blair’s eyes shot up to Jim’s and he smiled with relief, the smile lighting his whole face in a breathtaking manner. “I’m bi Jim, I guess most empaths are and I’ve been attracted to you since practically day one. I just didn’t think you would be interested and…” The words came out in one giant breath of air.

“Breathe, Chief.”

“I want a sexual bond,” Blair gave the shortened version, wiggling his eyebrows expressively and smiling.

“There are implications Blair. I doubt I could share you with anyone else. The relationship would have to be monogamous.”

“I think that’s a given considering we would be bonded man. I doubt anyone else would interest us if we did bond sexually, it’s a bonding thing. And I don’t know that anyone would dare come near me with a big, possessive sentinel standing over me.”

“Going solo is not a problem for me, Junior. I’ve gone the whole married route and it didn’t work out but you’re still young. You’d be giving up the chance of a family.” 

Blair nodded his understanding. “I think I gave that up the moment I came online. You’re my destined partner, I know that. I realized that the first time we shook hands. I reacted to you in a way that I didn’t react to any other sentinel. I tried to fight it but I guess it’s what I’m supposed to be. The physical reaction to you is like nothing I feel with anyone else and I can’t wait to see what the sex is like.” Blair paused thoughtfully considering the detective. “Don’t you feel it?”

“Yeah, I did, do, every time I touch you, and your sent drives me up a wall. You think I like blasting my face with cold air in the car.” The sentinel shook his head smiling. “If we weren’t bonding sexually I would probably have to cut off my balls.”

Blair laughed at that. “Whoa! Don’t take this wrong Jim but that might be a little drastic.”

“Tell me, if we didn’t decide on a sexual bond, what would you do?’

“Fantasize, a lot.” Blair looked over the man in front of him. “We should discuss other arrangements.”

“You mean like the fact that I think you need to give up that warehouse and move in here.”

“Wait a minute,” Blair countered.

“Chief, as a sentinel and a cop, I can’t have you living there. It’s not safe and you have to admit it is cleaner and warmer here and we will be sharing a bed.”

“But I think we need to get a place that is ours not yours,” Blair answered rising and pacing. “I need to be an equal partner in this.”

“Fair enough,” Jim agreed. “I’ll put your name on the deed.”

“But…”

“Chief, we’ll be partners in everything. No marriage could be closer and by law bonding is just as protected as marriage.” Jim paused wondering if his marriage failed because of a sentinel thing but shrugged it off. It didn’t really matter anymore. “We’ll fill out all the necessary paperwork but technically once bonded, you’re an heir every bit as much as a wife or children, so your name on the deed is not a problem.” Blair considered this and finally nodded agreeing. He couldn’t really afford to buy anything anyway. He pretty much lived from grant to grant but he could use his rent money every month to deal with household needs. Sentinels required specialized products and Blair figured he could put his money into the household that way. 

“Okay but I’ll take care of household expenses,” he put up a hand to stop Jim’s protest. “I have to be a partner in this or it won’t work.”

“Fine, but how about we agree that you’ll start dealing with the expenses when you’re on payroll.”

Blair broke out in a smile deciding he could buy things without Jim knowing about it. “You know your stubborn, Ellison.”

“So are you Sandburg.” 

“There is one more issue,” Blair returned to his seat and looked across at the sentinel his face slightly red. “The consummation works best if neither participant is using protection, bodily fluids being a part of a sexual bond.”

Jim nodded. “I’m clean, Chief. The only unprotected sex I had was with my wife and I made sure I was checked out after the divorce.”

“I’m clean too,” Blair answered honestly. “I’ve always practiced safe sex.” Blair’s blue eyes looked into Jim’s and he realized as guide, and as the experienced partner in this particular endeavor, he should make the first move. Rising, he walked around the table, a hand reaching out to caress Jim’s cheek as he leaned down and hesitantly kissed the sentinel. The electricity that passed through him at the intimate touch practically jolted him. He was amazed he didn’t’ go flying across the room and he could sense Jim feeling the same. Pushing further into the kiss, his tongue running along Jim’s lower lip, he could feel Jim open his mouth and Blair swooped in to explore his sentinel’s taste as he climbed on and straddled the larger man’s lap. He moaned softly amazed at the passion in the detective’s kiss as Jim’s hands came up to touch the guide’s glorious hair, his fingers sliding into the curls. Shifting closer to the sentinel, Blair’s hard cock rubbed against Jim’s and both men gasped at the sensation. “Don’t zone on me, Man,’ Blair whispered pulling back and Jim took a breath.

“Never felt my senses this alive, this close, but I don’t feel like I’ll zone. I’ve got you as an anchor.”

“Good, cause I wouldn’t want you to,” Blair whispered a hand sliding up Jim’s shirt, feeling the smooth skin and hard muscles. “It would be inconvenient.” As he said this, Blair’s fingers gently pinched Jim’s nipples, enjoying his gasp as they hardened in the guide’s fingers. “This is going to be fun,” Blair told himself. He had never considered how sensitive a sentinel would be to touch and he realized he was in a position to take away all of the sentinel’s control. It gave him a great deal of power and he planned on using it to drive his usually stoic sentinel to ecstatic abandon. Thinking this over, his already aroused state hardening almost painfully at the idea, Blair decided he needed one thing, lube. He hadn’t brought any, never expecting this type of relationship. Well, he’d just have to find something. “Jim,” he pulled back eliciting another moan from the sentinel. “Maybe we should go upstairs,” he suggested and Jim nodded his agreement as Blair disentangled himself. “Do you have any lube?”

“Lube?”

Blair nodded.

“There might be something in the medicine chest we can use,” Jim answered trying to concentrate on anything but his achingly hard cock and losing the battle.

“Good, start up, I’ll just get what we need and be right up.” 

“What we need?”

“For…uhm…penetration,” Blair clarified and watched the sentinel turn red and wave in the direction of the medicine cabinet as he headed up the stairs. Blair smiled watching him, the guide’s eyes practically glued to Ellison’s ass. “Oh yeah, tonight is going to be great,” he told himself as he turned and hurried into the bathroom. Blair was soon pushing bottles around, aspirin and other products dropping into the sink as he, not to patiently, looked for something he could use and then he found it. Smiling and giving a sigh of relief, he held up the tube examining it before turning and high tailing it up the stairs to his waiting sentinel.

In the bedroom, Jim was slowly unbuttoning his shirt, not wanting to undress without Blair, as the empath raced up but stopped at the top of the stairs and stared at the sentinel for a moment, not noticing the well ordered clean room or the soft lighting that offset some of the sterile anonymous surroundings but only the man. “Undress for me, Jim,” he whispered in a voice made hoarse by desire, not wanting to move closer knowing he would immediately pounce if he did. He wanted to see Jim, completely. The detective reached quickly for another button his eyes on his guide but Blair shook his head. “Slowly,” he commanded with a smile. “I want to watch you.” Pausing only fractionally as he took in a sharp breath, his eyes on his guide, the sentinel slipped slowly out of his shirt exposing a well toned sparsely haired broad chest and washboard stomach before playing with the button and zipper on his pants. Kicking off the shoes he let the pants fall to the floor before slowly letting his hand pull at the elastic waist of his boxers. He could hear Blair’s harsh breathing, his heart beating faster than normal as let the boxers fall to expose an already hard cock. Blair looked him up and down. “Man, you are gorgeous,” he whispered appreciatively as he stepped into the room and into the arms of his soon to be lover.

“You are too, Chief,” Jim answered as they leaned in for another kiss, his fingers unbuttoning Blair’s shirt before sliding it off the guide. He gave a soft laugh, pulling back as he realized Blair had on two shirts beneath the flannel one that lay on the floor. Tugging at them, Jim pulled them both up and off at once as Blair toed off his shoes and unzipped his jeans, waiting for Jim to take them off. Sliding his hands down Blair’s hips, Jim let the jeans and boxers fall to the floor as he looked down at the empaths cock, a hand reaching down to touch the hard warm flesh. Blair gave a soft moan at the contact and pushed toward the bed, the back of Jim’s legs connecting so that he fell backwards the guide on top of him skin touching skin as Blair leaned down to nip at his sentinel’s neck.

Jim arched at the contact and Blair smiled thinking the sentinel was definitely sensitive to touch as he pushed his body between Jim’s powerful legs. Sliding down the long muscled body, Blair started touching and tasting Jim, his mouth and hands everywhere as he licked at his neck, his nipples, his stomach and finally, his cock. He heard Jim’s gasp as he ran his tongue over the sensitive head and then licked up the shaft while shaky fingers opened the lube. Licking at Jim’s balls, Blair covered a finger with the gel and then slipped it inside Jim, enjoying the warmth and soft tissue as he moved in and out slowly loosening the ring of muscle. Soon he had two fingers inside Jim, using them to open the sentinel as he continued to slowly explore the detective’s body. Turning his fingers about he found the man’s prostate and ran a finger over it smiling as Jim gasped arching with a sound that indicated his surprise. 

Finally, deciding Jim’s body was ready, Blair stopped the slow licking that had kept Jim from getting to close to an orgasm and slid back up Jim’s body a hand on Jim’s face to catch his attention. “Can you work the dials?” he asked and Jim blinked not quite understanding the question. “Jim,” Blair called more sharply to gain the other’s attention, “Can you work the dials?”

“Don’t know, never have.” Jim answered. “Right now I don’t want to.” He pulled Blair down to nip at a naked shoulder and lick his neck needing to taste his guide as his fingers played with the nipple ring and ran through the hair on Blair’s chest.

“Jim, I want you to try. Just for a minute. Bring down your touch dial to four.”

“Can’t Chief.”

“You can,” Blair demanded knowing the sentinel was supersensitive and not wanting to hurt Jim as he entered him for the first time. “Do it now.”

Jim stopped licking Blair and closed his eyes for a minute visualizing dials as he had been taught at the class on sentinels and guides. He looked for the touch dial and tried turning it down, slowly moving down the scale from its setting at 8 to 4. Finally, he opened his eyes his chest heaving with the exertion and control needed to ignore the passion building in him and nodded. Blair smiled back and Jim almost lost control of the dial at the blinding beautiful smile as Blair moved to coat himself with the lube before pushing Jim’s legs up and back, Blair’s arms bracing the powerful legs as he placed the head of his cock at Jim’s opening.

Blair pushed hard to slide the head in and then slowly eased the rest of himself in, gritting his teeth to keep control and not hurt his sentinel when all he wanted to do was thrust in. He slid in slowly inch by inch until he was fully sheathed inside the man, his balls against Jim’s ass and then sighed as he looked down at Jim. It was obvious there was some discomfort, Jim’s eyes were closed, his cock having softened a bit but the guide knew from personal experience it would be short lived. “Jim,” he whispered. “Release the dials,” he ordered as he stroked the shaft resting between their two bodies and then moved slowly out and in, his cock hitting Jim’s prostate. Jim gave a gasp as he was suddenly flooded again with physical sensations of being filled, of being painfully stretched and of pleasure as his prostate was stimulated and his cock hardened. Blair smiled letting go of the hard shaft and beginning to thrust in and out, keeping his movements slow and even as Jim began to moan beneath him.

Jim reached for his own cock wanting to stroke it and get more sensation as he felt himself building towards orgasm but Blair stopped him. The guide was going to have his sentinel cum from the fucking and began moving faster and harder making the sentinel gasp with pleasure every time his prostate was hit. Soon Jim was writhing, moaning and arching to get more sensation as Blair claimed him, the guide grunting as his own impending orgasm neared. And then with a cry Jim stiffened, his body giving a final thrust upwards as he came and Blair feeling the muscles tense around his own cock gave a final thrust as his orgasm hit. 

His head thrown back as he came, Jim’s shields dropped and his mind opened to his guide and Blair swooped in meeting the man, James Ellison. He could sense Jim’s honor, his loyalty, his need to protect and his strength. He could also sense his dislike and distrust of his sentinel abilities, his insecurities especially around trust and family. In the back of his mind Blair realized he would need to work on getting his sentinel to accept his senses as he settled in feeling a connection growing between them.

At the same time, Blair’s mind opened to Jim and he sensed Blair’s strong convictions, his joy and wonder at life, his courage when faced with what he was afraid of. But he also sensed his need for a home and a family, for relationship that wouldn’t fail or be superficial, his loneliness, and Jim decided in that moment, Blair would never feel alone again. Sighing, content in a way he hadn’t been before, Jim brought his hands up to frame Blair’s face and pulled the younger man down for a kiss as their bond completed melding them into one soul. He felt tears wetting his face as he kissed his guide and thought Blair must be crying until he realized the tears were coming from both of them as Blair slid out and collapsed on top of him. Protectively, he embraced his guide, licking the tears until Blair opened his eyes and looked at his sentinel. “Hello Blair,” he said softly, his eyes roaming over the young man’s face as he realized what a treasure he had received. “You’re mine and that was incredible.” Blair nodded letting his head fall to Jim’s shoulder.

“I love you,” Blair whispered wondering how he could fall in love in just five days. It was ridiculous but it was there nonetheless and Jim nodded realizing he felt the same way.

“We are one soul in two bodies,” Jim whispered back, pulling his guide close. “And I love you too.”

End


End file.
